Blake and Joel finished hauling the last of the order into the crate and wrapped it carefully. A few years back, neighbours had asked their dad to make them sets of the log furniture he’d filled the house with. One thing led to another, and the handcrafted items had become a huge success with people living in Canmore and Calgary. Now in their spare time, the Coleman boys took turns creating the solid log bed frames, tables and other household items. Most of their work was done in the winter when field chores were slower, but there was a constant trickle of orders they filled throughout the year to keep their name in the community.
Blake helped, although building furniture wasn’t his favourite thing. He preferred outdoor chores or working with the animals. Daniel and the twins were more into the woodworking, but as a part of the family business he did his share to get everything done.
Besides, tonight it was mindless labour, and after sitting the whole meal across the table from Jaxi, he needed a little mindless.
Since their disastrous trip home a few years back, he’d tried his best to avoid her. She spent so much time with the Coleman clan, it hadn’t always been possible. She was invited to birthday parties and holiday dinners, like she’d been since she was a little tyke. He worked hard to never be alone with her, always the first to leave the room and get chores started. Although he ached to touch her, all the reasons he had to stay away seemed more valid than ever. She was just a baby, barely twenty-one, while he was over thirty. She still looked up to him like a little sister to a big brother.
When she and Travis had broken up, Jaxi had gotten real busy with school and work, even though she hadn’t left the community. She’d never mentioned anything about the ride with him, and Travis hadn’t said a word about any strange farewell message from Jaxi, so Blake assumed she either didn’t remember or just thought it was a fever-induced dream.
A dream. That’s where the memories haunted him the most. He still woke in the middle of the night, picturing those wide grey eyes looking into his as her body pressed intimately close. Woke up armed and dangerous and no amount of cold showers stopped the wanting.
Now she was in his house, hell in the room next to his. What was his ma thinking to let a girl sleep in the basement with three grown men? Not only was he next door to her, but Matt and Daniel slept downstairs temporarily as well. If they were still living at the Peter’s on the east section of the ranch, this whole situation wouldn’t be nearly as complicated. Blake now wished like hell they’d never agreed to rent the house to that single mom for six months.
Sleeping would be tough, but supper tonight—watching her lick the stew off her fork—was another kind of torment altogether. He’d only had brief touches of what her mouth and tongue could do, and he wanted another round and more. More of Jaxi touching him, loving him.
More of what he could never have.
“What’s the long sigh for, Blake? You feeling sentimental about shipping our trees to somebody else’s house?” Joel asked as they finished packing the furniture into a crate, hammering the lid in place.
Blake looked up in surprise. “Did I sigh?”
“Like a dog that’s been run ragged all day and just flopped down in front of the fire.”
“It’s nothing.”
“It’s Jaxi, I bet.” Blake jerked. Joel leaned back on the worktable, his arms crossed in front of him and a knowing expression on his face. “Listen, Jesse told me to talk to you, so remember if you have the urge to punch me out you have to save half of the pounding for him. What do you think of Jaxi?”
Blake hesitated. What could he say in response to that kind of open-ended question?
“She’s a good friend and it’s going to help Ma a great deal to have her here. I appreciate her kindness.” He looked around the shop for something to do with his hands. There was no way he could stand here and talk about Jaxi without fidgeting, and Joel was no dummy. He’d know Blake was pissing into the wind with his “good friend” comment if he fidgeted.
“You sure?”
“Why are you asking?” Blake found a table leg that needed hand sanding, and he sat to smooth the piece as he spoke.
“He’s asking because he and Jesse are hoping to sweet-talk the girl into kissing them. I’m right, ain’t I?” Daniel asked, joining them in the workshop.
Joel grinned. “We want more than kisses, but I’d settle for starting there. She’s the sweetest kisser—”
“How do you know?” Blake demanded.
Daniel snorted. “You missed that one? The boys hogtied her back in high school, what was it, tenth grade? I heard about it for weeks, couldn’t get them to shut up about how much fun they’d had, how soft her lips were, how she fit between them so well.” Daniel shook a finger at Joel. “This habit you two have of going for the same girl at the same time isn’t very socially accepted around these parts, you know. You better step real careful around the girls’ daddies until you know for sure they don’t plan to shoot one of you.”
“You say that as if we’re the only ones in this family who’ve shared a woman. Bullshit on that.”
Daniel grinned. “Yeah, well, that might be true. But you boys take it to the extreme—do you even know what to do with a woman without a backup?”
Joel shot him the finger, and they both laughed.
“You and Jesse kissed Jaxi? At the same time?” Blake was still reeling from the thought. “Was this before or after she went out with Travis?”
“Before.” Joel plopped on the bench next to Blake. “I still don’t understand why she ever dated him. I know he’s our brother and all, but sometimes he’s such an ass. Of all the guys she could have gone to Grad with, why’d she pick him?”
“I still don’t believe she kissed you and Jesse. Together.”
“Well, it wasn’t her idea, Blake. We were rather insistent. And she kissed us one at a time. It’s not as if I want my lips right next to Jesse’s. I’m not into that.”
Daniel sat across from them on a stool and joined in. “I kissed her once.” Blake barely stopped his jaw from hitting the floor. “Yup, only it was kiss her or kill her. She rode Thunder without permission, and when she managed to get him back into the barn without getting killed, I kind of lost my head.” Daniel winked at Joel. “You’re right, she is a sweet kisser.”
Joel poked at Blake. “You ever kiss her?”
“No! Course not. She’s just a little girl. I’m surprised at you, Daniel. She’s five years younger than you.”
“If I had been fifteen and her only ten, it would be have been a problem,” Daniel said. “She was old enough and she knew what we were doing. I didn’t give her much choice in the matter either. Looks like you’re the only Coleman boy she hasn’t kissed yet, Blake. Maybe we’d better set you up or something.”
Joel bristled. “Hey, Jesse and I—”
“When did Matt kiss her? He’s been going with Helen forever,” Blake interrupted. All his brothers had kissed her. He didn’t quite know what to think. He didn’t expect her to be some kind of saint who’d never kissed anyone, but…all five of them?
“Oh, that. Matt kissed her when she was thirteen. She told me about it.” Joel shrugged. “We were all down at the swimming hole, and Travis was teasing her how she didn’t need to wear a girl’s swimsuit yet, that she could still join them like she had as a little tyke, shorts and nothing else. Matt stopped the ass from being himself, then escorted her home. Jaxi told me he talked about changes, and how she would be a beautiful woman and not to worry when and where things would grow. Then he kissed her. She didn’t remember exactly what he said because she’d been surprised but it was something about a kiss for the woman she was going to become.”