She Does Know Jack (13 page)

“Yeah, but more
and more women in this country have a gun license, and permit to carry.
Besides, I know you, if there’s any type of competition, you won’t be able to
stop yourself.”

He was right. Her
competitive side wouldn’t let her back down from a challenge. She smiled. “I
get that from my uncle, you know.”

“And don’t you
forget it.”

She was still
smiling when she remembered something else she’d wanted to ask him.

“Listen, while I
have you on the phone, I need you to get me some small surveillance cameras. I
want to hide them in the security room and see if I can catch the culprit
fiddling with the mansion’s security.”

“Jack has tried
that, hun. The cameras always end up smashed on the floor.”

Shoot. She
scratched her temple. “Well, maybe that’s because someone sees him installing.
I don’t plan to be seen, and if you get me the smallest possible, maybe they’ll
go undetected.”

“Okay,” he
agreed. “I hope you’re right. Is there anything else?”

“Yes,” she
paused to chew her lip and form her words carefully.

“Why do I get
the feeling I’m not going to like this?” he asked.

She smiled
despite herself. “It's about the call Matthew got last night.” Playing with the
soap dispenser, she watched soap ooze out and drip to the vanity, spreading in
several directions—a perfect reflection of her thoughts on Jack. She wanted to
believe in his innocence but the evidence…

“Yes? Go on. You
wouldn’t happen to have one of your hunches, would you?”

“Not exactly.”
She swallowed. How should she put this?

“Well, come on,
spit it out,” Uncle Franco prompted, his impatience reaching through the line
to straighten her spine.

“I overheard
Jack talking on his cell phone last night—around the time Matthew said the call
came into the box.” She took a deep breath, squeezed her eyes shut, and waited
for her uncle to speak.

“What did you
hear?”

“He said:
this
is no joke.
” Her eyes squeezed tighter, then shot open when her uncle’s
laughter burst into her ear. “What’s so funny?”

“Oh, hun, Jack
said that to me last night when he called to report the snake incident and you
grilling him in the security booth.”

“He did?”

She swallowed,
relief sagging her shoulders as she stared at her reflection.
It isn’t Jack
.
He wasn’t a suspect. Dodger really was there to keep his brother and everyone
else safe from the stalker.

Uncle Franco
chuckled. “Yes. Jack wasn’t happy with my amused reaction either. Seems your
suspicion baffled him. Guess he’s used to doing the interrogation—not being
interrogated.”

Brielle nodded.
She knew how he felt. His interrogation of her last night had been necessary,
and she would’ve questioned him if he hadn’t, but it didn’t mean she liked
being a suspect.

“Well, hun. If
there’s nothing else, I’d better let you go. I want to call the men. They
should be at the ranch by now. Call me tonight.”

“I will. Bye.”
She flipped the phone closed and stared at her reflection. They were about to
spend the afternoon at an isolated ranch with the possibility of arming the
maniac threatening Matthew.

At least Jack
was in the clear. But, where did that leave him? Her pulse jumped. No longer a
suspect, he only had to pay her some attention and she’d be sunk. Who was she
kidding? All the former Ranger had to do was crook his pinky at her, and she’d
be all over him like chocolate sauce on a strawberry.

“No…I can’t give
into that attraction...” Her whisper fogged the mirror. He still posed a
danger, clouding her mind when it needed to be clear to investigate.

Brielle yanked a
towel from the ring, balled the soft material and swiped at the mirror. What
the hell should she say to Jack after that kiss? They’d ignored it last night.
He’d been too busy interrogating her, and she’d done her best to forget the
embrace. Embraces. She touched her mouth and blinked. But not anymore.

Groaning, she
dropped her head until it clunked against the mirror. She was in trouble. Big
trouble. And she had no one to blame but herself. She knew better than to kiss
him.

Because, hot damn,
that man could kiss.

She knew Dodger’s
lips, his taste, his searing heat would pull her in and make her hum. Heck, her
toes still tingled. She glanced at her bare feet and wiggled her mauve-painted
toes. Yep. Still tingled.

What should she
do, now?

Her gaze settled
on her reflection and her mind immediately supplied the answer.

Finish getting
ready and go do your job.

Ten minutes
later, after taking her own advice, Brielle was dressed in a form-fitting red T-shirt
and tight jeans
—
the only pair the studio had sent
—
and
joined the other girls in the living room with time to spare before the men
were due to arrive.

“My, don’t you
look all country. A regular Brielle Evans,” Carla said, voice close to a sneer.

“You think so?
Thanks.” She smiled, noting the other woman’s short shorts and plaid shirt tied
above her belly. “I guess that would make you Carla Duke.”

Danni snickered.

“Oh, do me next.
Who am I?” Mandy asked eagerly, turning in a circle.

“Oh, that’s
easy. You’d be Mandy Parton.” Carla obliged.

The hand model blinked,
twirling a curl around her fingers. “Really? Because of my blonde hair?”

Brielle knew
Carla had slung the name because of the woman’s more than ample curves, but
kept quiet. Dressed similarly to Carla, Mandy practically fell out of
everything.

“I hope that
doesn’t mean I’m Roy?” Danni stared down at her jeans and T-shirt with a frown.

“No, you’d be,
Danni Oakley, right?” Mandy asked excitedly.

The teacher
smiled as chimes echoed one after another through the foyer.

Mandy squealed.
“Oh, they’re here.” The blonde rushed for the door while Danni and Carla
strolled behind.

Stomach
flopping, Brielle hung back, reluctant to face Jack. Maybe they didn’t have to
bring up the kiss. After all, it wasn’t likely to happen again. She’d see to
that, so did they really need to discuss the incredible lip-lock?

Yes, you do
, her conscience
insisted. She was supposed to be there for his brother. Jeez, what he must
think of her…

It sucked.
Finally, after all this time, she found a decent man she made a real connection
with, and she had to lie to him. For the first time ever, she actually hated
her job.

Her mind and
body far from happy, she reached the others as they opened the doors.

“Hello, ladies.
Don’t you all look ready for the ranch?” Matthew tipped his Stetson and graced
them with a glimpse of his perfect teeth and sexy dimples.

“Wow, so do the
two of you.” Danni blushed.

Carla’s jaw
joined Mandy’s on the floor while Brielle lost her breath. Both men were
gorgeous. But, a little thrill shot through her body, lingering on her good
parts the moment she saw Jack. His magnetism reached out, grabbed hold and squeezed
tight.

Matthew was the
only one wearing a hat, no doubt to distinguish him as the groom, but wardrobe
did dress the brother’s alike in jeans and denim, snap-front shirts, Matthew’s
plaid, Jack’s a solid blue. The Anderson brothers filled the foyer with a
truckload of testosterone. Even their boots oozed sex appeal.

Brielle forced
air back into her lungs and tried to sound nonchalant. “So, did you ride up on
horseback or is that later?”

Matthew laughed.
“Later. We brought the sleek racehorse.”

“You did?” Mandy
blinked. “How will we all fit on one animal?”

“He means the
limo.” Carla sighed, moving forward to grab Matthew’s arm. “Come on, let’s hit
the range, cowboy.”

“Yeah, I can hardly
wait,” Danni said, claiming Matthew’s other arm.

He smiled and
led them out the door.

“Hey, wait for
me.” Mandy ran after them, leaving Brielle alone with Jack.

She’d never done
the walk of shame, but this had to be similar. They stared at each other,
awkward silence growing more uncomfortable with each passing beat. She knew she
should say something—anything—to set the record straight about their kiss, but
her heart wouldn’t let her mind form the words.

“Brielle, about
last night...” He stepped toward her, then halted, running a hand through his
hair. “Ah, hell. I’m no good at this.”

She could tell
he was struggling and that about killed her. No way would she let him take the
blame. She cleared her throat and feigned indifference. “It’s all right, Jack.
What happened was a harmless mistake,” she said, her voice no longer a prisoner
to her heart. That lie sounded believable, even to her ears. It had to. She
needed to make him feel better.

He exhaled and
some of the rigidity disappeared from his shoulders. “I’m glad you understand.
You’re here for my brother. I had no right to—”

“Hey, I didn’t
exactly push you away, either. It was a mistake, that’s all.”

“You’re right.
It won’t happen again.”

He seemed way
too relieved for her bruised heart and ego.

“So, are we
okay? I don’t want there to be any awkwardness between us.”

Barely holding
back a snort, Brielle did another throat-clearing thing and nodded. “We’re
fine,” she lied some more.

They weren’t
fine. Fine would be to drop the act and see where the attraction headed, now
that she didn’t suspect him. But, because of the promise to keep her
non-contestant status from Jack, she had no choice but to play along.

Two hours later,
the six of them stepped from their limo onto a real working ranch. A real, working,
gorgeous ranch. Hands in her back pockets, Brielle glanced around and inhaled.
Fresh cut grass and roses fragranced the air. She drew in a second and third
breath, feeling some of the tension leave her body as she exhaled, long and
slow.

Endless green
fields and pastures stretched in one direction while hills graced the other. A
large, two-story wooden house, complete with wrap-around porch, sat in the
distance, nestled against one of the hills.

Beautiful…peaceful.
 

“Okay, here’s
how it’s going to go today,” Bill said as they headed toward food-laden picnic
tables set out under a grove of oak trees. “You’re going to eat, then do the
firing range, then go horseback riding.”

Danni turned to
the producer when they reached the tables, her gaze bright with excitement. “Do
we win anything, Bill? There’s usually something extra going on.”

“You’re a smart
girl, Danni. Yes, you do win something today.” The producer walked over to
Matthew and placed a hand on his shoulder. “Whoever has the best score at the firing
range wins alone-time with our bachelor today.”

“Yes!” Carla
smiled, fist-pumping the air.

“I don’t know
how to shoot, but I’m told I’m a quick learner.” Mandy winked at Matthew.

He smiled and glanced
at Danni and Brielle. “How about you two? You up for the competition?”

Danni stared
directly at Carla. “Yeah, bring it.”

Great. Normally,
Brielle would view competition as healthy, but in this case? Hell no. Jack
quietly watched the girls, and she noticed his back stiffen at that last
comment. Yeah, she wasn’t thrilled either. Was Mandy the only one who didn’t
know how to shoot?

“And you? What
about you, Brielle?” Bill smiled knowingly.

“I can hardly
wait,” she answered with a half-truth. She’d only been on the show for four
days, and already it felt like four years. She sighed, wishing something would
put an end to this nightmare. As long as it didn’t happen at the expense of
someone’s health.

“Great. Then,
let’s eat.” Bill confiscated a piece of fried chicken from a table loaded with
enough food to feed a small town, and everyone eagerly fell in line.

A little later,
having eaten more than her share of the feast, Brielle got up to throw her
plate away. Deep in thought, her mind was running through threat scenarios when
a pair of cowboy boots came into her view.

“So, you any
good with a gun?”

Jack’s sexy tone
threw her pulse into a gallop. She smiled up at him, and as usual when she met
his intense blue gaze, a flash of heat shot through her belly.

“Maybe.”

He studied her
face for a long beat. “I guess we’ll find out soon enough.”

“Hey, Brielle.”
Matthew approached, tossing his plate in the trash. “Can I see you a second?”

She ripped her
gaze from his brother and focused on her client. “Sure. What’s up?”

He smiled. “I’m
trying to steal a few minutes with each of you girls, and right now, it’s your
turn, if that’s okay?” Matthew glanced at Jack.