Jake (Men of Clifton Montana Book 1) (19 page)

His face turned
white. “I’m so sorry. We should’ve been watching more carefully. It’s just that
nothing’s been happening lately, I guess we let our guard down. I don’t—sorry,
hon.”

Becca felt her eyes
burn with tears. She wrapped her arms around him. “Stan, we all let our guard
down. Please don’t think I blame you or any of the men. You guys can’t be
watching the house twenty-four seven. You have plenty of other things to do.”

Stan nodded. “I
know but from now on, one of us is going to be here at all times. We’ll take
shifts. I know the men will be happy to help out.” He frowned. “I just don’t
know how they’re getting in. I installed those new locks myself.”

Emma rubbed Stan’s
back. “We’re not sure how they’re getting in either, but we’re pretty sure how
they get out. The chain was off the mudroom door.”

“Really?
That is strange. We’ll all keep a better eye out.
Promise.”
Stan put his hat on and after kissing Becca on the cheek, he left.

After locking the
door behind Stan, Becca took two bottles of Chardonnay out of the refrigerator,
grabbed three glasses, and headed for the living room with Olivia and Emma
following her. They sat down on their makeshift beds and opened the wine. By
the end of the first bottle, they were feeling no pain, laughing and rolling on
the floor.

“We are so going to
pay for this in the morning,” Becca said, laughing. Emma snorted and Olivia
giggled.

Three hours later,
Olivia groaned. “Why did you let me drink so much?”

“Oh yeah, we forced
you to drink it.” Becca laughed.

“If Jake comes over
tomorrow, tell him to bring Wyatt. I need a fix.” Olivia giggled.

“A Wyatt
fix
?” Emma burst out laughing.

“I haven’t seen
that gorgeous man in a while.” Olivia belched then slapped her hand over her
mouth and giggled.
“At least…well, not in the flesh.”
She fell back on the floor laughing.

“I know I’m going
to regret this but…in the flesh?” Emma smiled.

“I see him in my
dreams every night.” Olivia sobered. “I want him bad.”

Becca smiled. It felt
good having them all together again.

Olivia
continued by telling them about her dreams starring Wyatt Stone, making Emma
blush. Becca was used to Olivia saying whatever she thought, so it didn’t shock
her anymore. However, she was taking a sip of her wine when Olivia did shock
her. “I bet he’s hung too.”

Becca
choked on her drink and Emma fell over laughing. Olivia crawled over to Becca.
“You know, don’t you?”

“If Wyatt’s hung?”
Becca shook her head wiping wine
from her front side. “I have no idea.”

Olivia
burst out laughing.
“Becs!
You know what I mean. Jake
is, isn’t he?”

“I refuse to answer
that question. Besides, just because one brother is, doesn’t mean the others
are,” Becca huffed.

Olivia scrambled to
her knees. “So, he is hung?”

Becca burst out
laughing. “Stop it, Liv. You’re embarrassing Emma.”

They both glanced
at Emma whose cheeks were pink.

“I would just like
to find out for myself about Gabe,” she said with a shy smile.

Becca and Olivia
howled with laughter. Emma joined in. As the evening wound down, they did too.
They each took a turn in the tub then settled down into their blankets, and got
comfortable. They watched a Sandra Bullock movie and eventually drifted off to
sleep, each to their own dreams of a man named Stone.

The next morning
the sun filtered across Becca’s face, waking her. She put her hand over her
eyes, moaned, and then grabbed her head. The sound she made echoed through her
head. Pain shot through her skull with each blink of her eyes. She tried to
look around, but it was just too painful. Rolling to her side, she finally
opened her eyes and found herself face to face with Emma who was smiling at
her.

“Good morning,
Becca.”

“Hush. My head is
pounding. Why are you smiling?”

“I never get
hangovers.” Emma laughed as Becca swatted at her. “I’ll start the coffee.”

Becca groaned and
pulled the blanket over her head, missing Emma shake her head as she moved
toward the kitchen. After a few minutes, Becca managed to make her way to the kitchen
table, taking a seat. Emma was humming. Olivia stumbled in moments later and
narrowed her eyes at Emma.

“Why is she
humming?” Olivia groaned clenching her jaw and baring her teeth.

“She never gets
hangovers,” Becca informed her in a whisper.

Olivia growled and
took a cup down to get coffee, grumbling the entire time. When she sat down
beside Becca, Emma joined them.

“Are you really
going to turn this place into a B and B, Becca?” Emma asked with too much
sunshine in her voice for Becca’s liking.

“I am. I can’t
leave here now.” Becca shrugged and looked to Olivia. “I wish you’d stay too,
Liv.

“I have been
thinking about it. There’s a certain cowboy I’d like very much to rope and
ride.”

Emma almost spit
her coffee out.

Becca laughed, and
then grabbed her head. “I don’t want to leave Jake. I love him and I don’t care
if he does want this ranch, no matter how many times he says he doesn’t. I
really don’t care. I want him.”

“Why would Jake
want your ranch?” Emma asked her brow furrowed over her eyes as she peeked over
the lip of her cup.

Becca explained the
will and how she’d suspected Jake of trying to run her off so he could bid on
the ranch. The look of surprise on Emma’s face was priceless.

“Are you serious?
Jake doesn’t need this ranch. He has enough to worry about at his own ranch. It
would just mean that much more work and men. Other than maybe additional
watering rights, he doesn’t have any need for your land. Shoot, Jake already
has…” Emma suddenly stopped and glanced away as if she’d said too much already.

“What? Jake has
what?” Becca demanded.

Emma shook her
head.
“More acreage.
I think you should ask Jake about
that.”

Becca decided that
was exactly what she was going to do. Leaving her friends to breakfast, she ran
upstairs, and hurried to get dressed. When she came back into the kitchen, she
downed a cup of coffee, almost burning her tongue. She hoped it helped with her
headache because she was on her way to see Jake and find out the real reason he
wanted her land. Becca had to wonder just how much land he had, and what it
meant to her property.

She muttered to
herself from the time she walked out her door until she pulled up to his barn.
Her anger grew until her jaw hurt from clenching it, and her back tightened the
closer she got to his land. What hadn’t he told her? If he had more land than
her so what, but there must be another reason he was hell bent on getting the
ranch. Had he lied to her? She detested liars. After she stopped the SUV near
the barn, she had to take several deep breaths to calm herself. Had he made a
fool of her? Used her?

She’d accused him
of wanting to run her off. Was it possible he was behind the men arrested for
taking the horses after all? The entire time she accused him, he’d probably
been laughing at her, knowing the truth all along. Why hadn’t he told her why
he didn’t want it, if he really didn’t want her ranch? Had he played her for a
fool? Becca thought about the way she’d jumped down his throat about it. Even
after they slept together, she’d still distrusted him and had felt horrible
about it. She should’ve listened to her gut.
 

Becca stepped from
the vehicle and started toward the house when she heard her name called from
behind. Turning, she saw Jake coming toward her from the barn. She bit back a
groan. He looked so good. Could she be so wrong about him?

Though it was still
early in the morning, the sun was high and shining brightly, warming everything
it touched. Jake was already filthy from the work he’d put in. She watched as
he removed his hat, ran his forearm across his forehead, slapped his hat
against his thigh, stirring up dust, and then replaced it on his head. She could
see the sweat stains on his shirt and dust covering his jeans and boots. She
sighed. He’d never looked sexier. He stopped in front of her and leaned down to
kiss her. When she pulled back from him, he frowned.

“Am I too dirty for
a hello kiss?” he asked, his frown deepening.

“How much land do
you have, Jake?” She folded her arms across her chest, tapped her foot, and
waited.

He looked at the
ground first, and then lifted his gaze toward the expanse of land stretching
for miles beyond the ranch house and barn. Then his eyes came back to rest on
her. “I told you all along I didn’t need your ranch.”

“How much?” she
growled, her jaw tight making her head ache.

“I have eleven
hundred acres.”

“Do you need my
land for watering rights then?” she asked with impatience. Somehow, she knew
the answer before he answered.

He shook his head.

“Then why do you
want my land?”

Putting his hand on
his hip, Jake looked her square in the eye. “Becca, I don’t
want
or
need
your land. In the beginning, I was willing to do what it took
to protect your land because Hattie didn’t want strangers to have it. I told
you that.”

“But if you don’t
need it, then why didn’t you just say that when I was accusing you of trying to
run me off?” Becca asked, her fisted hands settling on her hips as she resisted
poking him in the chest. Suddenly it all became clear. “Ah, hell,” she whispered.
“I’m the stranger that you and Hattie didn’t want to have it. Is that it?”

“Becca, I didn’t
say that.”

“You don’t have
to.” Becca heard his words but refused to listen. She’d already spun on her heel
and was heading back to her vehicle.

Jake grabbed her by
the arm. “We need to talk about this, Red.”

She glared at him. “I
don’t think so. Everything is abundantly clear now. You lied to me about
everything. Hattie didn’t care about me. She just needed someone to leave the
ranch to that was family. She figured I’d never want it and it could go to
auction so you could buy it up.”

“That’s bullshit
and you know it. I didn’t lie about anything—”

“You did,” she
shouted. “Every single time I accused you of doing things to make me leave, you
never said a word about my staying and taking on the ranch. You should have
said something instead of letting me continue to accuse you, but now I
understand why you didn’t. You wanted me to leave so that
this
stranger didn’t get the ranch.” Becca drew her hands down the
front of her body as she ranted.

“I could have said
anything, would you have believed me?” he asked softly, his gaze drifting away
from her face.

That certainly took
the wind out of her sails because he was right. She wouldn’t have. She shook
her head in denial. So the truth was clear, he didn’t want her to stay.
Everything that had passed between them was a lie. Tears stung the backs of her
eyes as the realization that she was in love with a man who wasn’t in love with
her set in.

“It wouldn’t have
mattered what I said, you’d have thought I was lying. Anytime I said I didn’t
want the ranch, you didn’t believe me. Jesus, Becca! You accused me of
vandalizing your home. I didn’t know how to convince you I wasn’t interested in
Hattie’s land for any reason other than wanting to keep it the way she wanted.”
Jake said his eyes boring into hers as tears began to blur his image.

Becca couldn’t say
anything, she was about to fall apart.

“Honestly, it doesn’t
matter how much land I have because I don’t need your ranch. I didn’t expect to
like you so much, Becca. But I knew no matter how many times I told you I wasn’t
trying to make you leave, you wouldn’t believe me.” He shook his head. “I didn’t
know how to make you understand that I was interested in
you
, not the ranch.”

Becca’s throat
closed up and tears pooled in her eyes. She didn’t know what to believe
anymore. He hadn’t wanted her here, and now he expected her to believe that he
did. Raising her chin, she glared up at him.

“We are so over,
Stone. Stay away from me, and my ranch,” Becca snapped at him before running to
her SUV. Grabbing the door handle, she flung the door open looking back at him
one more time. It was killing her but she had to get away from him. She got in,
and spun out, throwing gravel everywhere. When she looked in the rearview
mirror, she saw Jake standing there with his hands in the air. She saw him
curse and slam his hat in the dirt before he watched her drive away.

Becca couldn’t see
for the tears in her eyes and soon had to pull over. Sobs shook her body and
tears flowed down her cheeks. Jake’s words echoed in her head. Had he really
said he was more interested in her than the ranch? What was the truth?

She really was a
fool. He was right. She wouldn’t have believed anything he told her and still couldn’t.
Once she realized she was in love with him, he should’ve been able to tell her
there were no fish in the sea, and she’d have believed him. But oh no, she only
heard what she wanted to hear and it was all the wrong things. She’d been the
one to make the accusations, and he’d borne them without retribution. Jake didn’t
want the ranch and he didn’t need her land, but he wanted her.
Shit!

Becca laid her forehead
against the steering wheel. What a mess. She could screw up a sex dream with
her wild ideas. After checking for traffic, she pulled back onto the road. She
was tempted to go back to Jake and apologize but she needed to go home, and
have a good cry with Olivia and Emma. She had to think this through before she
saw Jake again. She was in love with him, but he hadn’t said anything to her about
love. She wanted, no, she needed him to be in love with her And until she was
sure he was
,
Becca had to protect her heart. If she
looked into Jake’s beautiful eyes and handsome face right now, she would grovel
at his feet for forgiveness.