PenPal Hero

BORN IN TEXAS #16: PenPal Hero

I’ll never be one of them.

Usually when Summer Rose Gardener was surrounded by this many chattering guests, a private band, and mouth-watering scents, it was because she was working on a security detail. Not today. Through a series of events that she was still trying to wrap her brain around, she was a bridesmaid in Bonnie and Holt Winchester’s wedding party.

The hunky cowboy, who was stuck to her side like a cocklebur, was their best man. He also happened to be the bride’s oldest brother. Now that the wedding ceremony was over, she’d fully expected him to ditch her and go hang out with his army of friends and family. But he hadn’t.

Nope. Jackson Yates was still hanging on to her arm, towing her deeper into the massive multi-purpose room at Anderson Ranch B&B, where his sister’s wedding reception was in full swing. It was almost as if he expected her to take off running for the white linen draped tables lining the room. Not that she wasn’t sorely tempted. She eyed the dance floor in front of them warily. Nobody had bothered mentioning there’d be dancing at Bonnie and Holt’s reception.

Jackson let go of her arm and broke into some sort of crazy jig at her side.

“What are you doing?” Summer Rose’s eyes widened at the movements the tall, broad-shouldered cowboy was making. Despite his silliness, he looked incredible in his charcoal-colored suit jacket over his jeans. His Stetson was tipped forward at a cocky angle, shading the mischievous glint in his dark eyes.

“Dancing. What does it look like?” He spun in her direction, high stepping backwards, and narrowly missed plowing into another couple.

She tamped down on a hysterical laugh bubbling inside her. “Like you were bitten by a poisonous snake and are going into contortions.”

A wide grin stretched his tan features. “Did the sun just come out, or did you actually smile at me, darling?”

“I don’t smile.” She was kidding, of course. Everyone smiled occasionally. She just didn’t do it often.

“Come on!” He beckoned her closer. “Dance with me.”

“I don’t dance, either.” She shook her head, wishing like crazy she was in her security guard uniform instead of a lacy bridesmaid dress. Her only comfort was that the sage fabric didn’t clash with her fire engine red hair. It was the first wedding she’d ever been in. She suspected she’d only been invited because the bride felt guilty about punching her.

It was an accident. Sort of. At the time, Bonnie had been under the influence of some serious Jedi mind control tricks — the kind of stuff normally seen in movies. Both she and her husband had been separately abducted and separately experimented on by a dangerous set of mad scientists. According to their therapists, however, they’d been successfully deprogrammed, whatever that meant. Only time would tell if it was true.

She wished them the best. She truly did. But her sentiments most certainly did not extend to joining in today’s festivities. She’d allowed Jackson to escort her down the aisle, as requested. Her part was done. It was time to grab a bite to eat, then dash.

“What in the—?” A squeaking sound escaped her as Jackson hopped closer and closed his large paws around her hands.

“What part of I don’t dance don’t you understand?” She wrestled to escape his grasp, drowning with embarrassment as heads turned in their direction.

“Oh, but this isn’t dancing. You said so yourself.” Jackson pulled her deeper into the crowd of couples that were dipping and swaying to the music. The bride was seriously cutting up the dance floor in the center of the crowd with her groom. They practically oozed happiness. Looking at them today, no one would ever guess the horrors they’d endured in recent months.

The music transitioned to something slower, and the frenzied movements of the dancers came to a halt. Couples stepped closer to each other and started swaying gently from side to side.

Summer Rose glanced hastily around her, looking for an escape route. Again, Jackson was there, blocking her path.

“You know what you’d look beautiful in?” His gaze swept over her and darkened in pure male appreciation as he reached for her again. “My arms.”

He was the king of cheesy one-liners. Each one was cornier than the last one. There was just something about them, though, that made him come across as boyish and innocent. Someone she could trust.

With a sigh of defeat, she stepped into his eager embrace, allowing him to cuddle her closer. “I don’t know why I’m doing this,” she muttered.

“Because it’s where you belong, darling.” Ever the perfect gentleman, Jackson didn’t hold her too tight or slide his hands anywhere that made her uncomfortable. During the few months they’d known each other, she’d been forced to conclude that he was the most decent human being she’d ever met.

Unlike my ex.

The last guy she’d dated was now a convicted felon serving three consecutive twenty-year sentences at a high-security penitentiary. Finn Conus II was supposed to have been old and gray when he got out. However, she’d just been informed that he’d negotiated some sort of plea bargain that was likely to be accepted. She’d yet to hear what part of his soul he’d sold this time. One thing she was sure of. When he got out, he would be coming for her.

“Are you cold?” Jackson frowned in concern down at her.

To my very soul, cowboy. “No.” She gave him a bland look, accustomed to pretending everything was alright. It was part of her job to think with her head and not her heart.

“Then why are you shivering?” He hitched her closer with one steely arm.

“Because the forecast in my world is cloudy with a chance of revenge.” She tipped her face up to his. “Please assure me you were serious about letting me hire you as my bodyguard.” It was a slightly insane request — one bodyguard hiring another — but the thought of facing Finn alone filled her with terror. Though the town gave the testimony of Holt Winchester the most credit for putting her ex behind bars, her anonymous assistance had helped tip the scales against him. She had no doubt that Finn had figured it out. That was why she desperately needed some backup on this.

“Yes, I’m serious about being your bodyguard.” Jackson dipped his head closer to hers to speak directly in her ear. “I’m not interested in taking your money, though.”

“Tough. That’s how this works.” Summer Rose shivered again, unsure why he was so intent on pursuing her. It wasn’t as if she’d done anything to encourage him. Quite the opposite. She’d been careful to keep things professional between them, since they were co-workers at K&G Security. It was an interesting twist that few people knew they were actually coworkers. Most folks knew him only as the manager of Yates Ranch, his family’s business. What he did for K&G Security was strictly on the side. It was one of the biggest reasons she’d approached him. The guy knew how to keep a secret.

“It doesn’t have to be like that between us.” Jackson continued holding her as if she was made of something more delicate than five feet three inches of pure grit and determination. “I think I’ve made it pretty clear I want more than a professional relationship with you.”

The way he was looking at her threatened to melt her from the inside out, but she couldn’t afford to melt right now. Too much was at stake.

“I think I’ve made it equally clear that’s not happening.” She lifted her chin, ignoring the butterflies fluttering in her stomach. “If we can’t come to an agreement, I’ll find somebody else to do the job.” She hated seeing the flash of anger her words sparked in his gaze, but it was for the best. She had a world of trouble headed her way. This wasn’t the time for emotional attachments. She needed to keep her head in the game. Two heads would be better than one, though. She held his gaze, silently begging him to accept her terms. He was one of the few people in the world she trusted.

His expression grew shuttered. “I want to be paid by check, twice per month,” he drawled. “And have full access to your schedule at all times.”

“Deal.” She let out the breath she didn’t realize she’d been holding.

“I’m not finished,” he continued in a voice as smooth as butter. “By full access to your schedule, I mean you’ll be personally accessible to me 24/7. If I call, you’ll pick up. If I text, you’ll write back. You may not want to date me, but we’ll be so glued together that folks will think that’s exactly what we’re doing. It’s the only way I can protect you while juggling my many other responsibilities.”

“Anything else?” She needed his help too badly to balk at his demands.

“Nope. I think that about covers it.” As the dance drew to a close, he spun her one last time, then dipped her low over his arm.

Her heart raced at the realization that he was exploring a theory of his — that she wasn’t as immune to his charm as she pretended to be. And she wasn’t. Every time they were together like this, her heart pounded like crazy, and her breathing grew shallow. The hard part was not letting it show enough for him to figure it out. He might have his suspicions, but it was better to keep him guessing. Better for both of them.

“Why don’t you have a girlfriend?” The moment the question escaped her, she wished she could hit the delete button and unsend it.

The way his dark eyebrows rose with incredulity told her it was too late for that. “The only woman I want to date isn’t interested.” He straightened with her, keeping his hands resting lightly on her waist.

The bitterness in his voice made something wrench inside her. “I never said I wasn’t interested,” she protested breathlessly. “All I’ve said is I can’t date right now.”

“Why?” His fingers tightened on her waist.

“You know why.” Please don’t make this any harder than it has to be.

“Tell me anyway.” His gaze briefly dropped to her lips.

“A very wealthy, very powerful criminal has me in his crosshairs.” Her voice grew shaky. “He’ll target everyone he thinks I care about, so I can’t afford to get involved with anyone.” She bit her lower lip, fearing she’d said too much. The last thing she wanted to do was give him false hope.

“Okay.” Jackson dropped his hands and took a step back from her. “I’ll do my best to keep you from falling in love with me, darling.”

“I’d appreciate that.” His teasing look roused her suspicion. He was up to something. She was sure of it.

“Consider it an addendum to our previous agreement,” he continued in the same lazy drawl. “As of this moment, it’s strictly prohibited for you to think about kissing your bodyguard, hugging him, or the way you feel in his arms.”

Her mouth went dry. “Deal,” she lied. Now that he’d brought it up, she was having a hard time thinking about anything else than his stinking list of don’ts.

“Hope it doesn’t bother you that I’ll continue thinking about every last one of those things when we’re together.” His voice grew husky. “And probably when we’re not together. And probably in my dreams.”

She gaped at him. “Didn’t we just agree to—?”

“Nope. You’re the only one who agreed to the addendum.” His expression was innocent. “If you fail to keep your end of the bargain, that’s on you.”

“A one-sided addendum hardly seems fair.” She huffed out an indignant breath. “What do you even mean when you say it’s on me?” She put air quotes around the last three words.

“Any breach of contract, and I might just kiss you senseless.” He curled his upper lip at her. “Don’t say I didn’t warn you.” Without any further ado, he pivoted away from her and disappeared into the crowd of wedding guests.

She stared after him with her lips parted in astonishment. What just happened? She had a nagging feeling that she’d mishandled their entire exchange. Badly. And now all she could think about was their first ki—

Stop! Don’t go there.

She tried to force her thoughts into safer territory. Like wedding cakes. Corsages. Candles. Canapés.

It didn’t work. All she could think about was the ridiculous addendum her gorgeous bodyguard had just imposed on their relationship, including the not kissing part. Especially the not kissing part.

Great. I’m already in violation of our new agreement.

Unfortunately, her weakness where he was concerned wouldn’t keep him safe from the danger hurtling their way.

Okay. New mission. Jackson Yates can’t find out just how badly I’ve already fallen for him.

She would give anything to explore their growing attraction to each other, but not yet.

Not now.

Maybe never.

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