“I doubt that seriously, Abigail.” Her mom sounded incredulous. “Oh, he might be around you, but make no mistake that Jack Barnes is one dangerous man. He grew up real rough.”
Abby turned around, lip gloss suddenly way less interesting than what her mother was saying. “I know his mom died when he was young.” Christa had told her that much.
“I don’t know the whole story. Jack doesn’t talk about it, but I know no one claimed him after his mom died. He grew up in foster care, and that’s where he met Sam. The first time I met him I thought maybe it had damaged him, you know. Sometimes when a person doesn’t get enough love as a child they become cold and distant. Jack seemed to be that way.”
“He isn’t.” Abby leaned forward. She wanted her mother to believe. He was anything but cold. Even when he tried to keep his distance, he’d been caring. He’d just been unsure and scared, she realized now. He hadn’t wanted to get close until he had been sure she wouldn’t reject him out of hand.
“Everyone knows that.” Her mother patted her hand. Abby was comforted by the gesture. “But don’t make the mistake of thinking because he’s gentle with you that he can’t take care of himself. When those boys first bought that ranch, there were people in town who treated them badly. Their lifestyle was odd, to say the least. It didn’t seem to bother Jack, but it made Sam upset when people treated him like dirt. Do you remember Frank’s?”
Abby nodded. “I sure do. It was the only bar in town. I remember they had some strict rules. No liquor could be served after midnight, even on a Saturday, and there was no dancing and no loud music.”
The town had restrictions, and though Frank’s was a private club, it had to follow the rules.
“They refused Sam a membership,” her mom said. “The only place in town where he could get a beer and they wouldn’t let him in the front door because Frank Webb thought he was a queer.”
“Asshole.” Sam was so social. It would bother him to be closed out. “I am glad they went out of business. What a jerk.”
Her mother’s face was practically gleeful. “They went out of business exactly six months after they told Sam he wasn’t welcome. Two weeks after they tossed Sam out on his butt, The Barn opened up. It was on some land in an unincorporated part of the county, so the rules didn’t apply. Is it so surprising that everyone in town flocked to a place where they could drink and dance and listen to whatever music they wanted, however loud they wanted it?”
“That was a very happy coincidence.” She should check out the honky-tonk. It sounded like fun. Christa and Mike were regulars. She bet Sam could dance. Conversely, she thought she would probably have to coax Jack to take a turn on the floor with her. It would be worth it to have those big arms around her as they swayed to the music.
“Coincidence? Whose land do you think it was on, baby girl? Jack Barnes called some friends of his, and he gave them the seed money and the land to open the place on. He crushed Frank Webb. I’m telling you this not because I think you should be wary of the man. I want you to understand that he takes care of his own.”
A hundred questions popped through Abby’s mind. “It makes you wonder. How does a boy with no family and no connections end up with a huge spread? How much do you think he and Sam spent on the ranch?”
“All I know is sometime between turning eighteen and being basically homeless after he aged out of the group home he lived in, and when he and Sam started Barnes and Fleetwood five years later, they came up with roughly five million dollars. I heard Bernard, the city treasurer, talking about it, and that’s what he figured it cost to start up their business. I doubt they earned it flipping burgers.” There was a knock on the door. Her mom leaned over and kissed her cheek. “That’s my ride now. You have a good time tonight, Abigail. You let those boys take care of you. I won’t wait up, honey.”
“Okay, Mama. Have fun.” Abby watched her mother disappear down the narrow hall. She was thoughtful as she finished getting ready for her date.
Jack’s jaw dropped when Abby opened the creaky door to her mama’s run-down single-wide. Nothing that gorgeous should have been in a sad little trailer. She deserved to be walking down a grand staircase, making an entrance worthy of a princess.
“Damn, Abby, you’re going to give every man in the county a heart attack.” Sam gave her a low whistle.
“Do you like?” Abby twirled so they got a good view.
Jack took in the sight of Abby in an emerald green dress that clung to her delicious curves and showed off her creamy, ivory skin. Her auburn hair hung past her shoulders in soft curls that made Jack want to thrust his fingers in and feel the silky softness of the locks. He loved the fact that she had curves. It made her soft and feminine, and it took his breath away that such a lovely creature wanted him. And there was no doubt in his mind that Abby wanted him. It was there in her hazel eyes as she looked at him. Jack had to take a deep breath. Dear god, he was really, deeply in love for the first time in his life.
Jack supposed that when he and Sam had talked about finding a woman to marry, he’d thought Sam would fall in love and he’d just go along for the ride. He would need to like the woman, of course, and he had intended to be good friends with her, but he hadn’t expected for his heart to seize every time she smiled at him or his knees to feel weak when she took his hand. He even liked it when she gave him hell. He wondered for the first time what she would look like in a wedding dress.
“Hey,” she said softly, looking up at him with gentle eyes as she smoothed down the fabric of his dress shirt. “What’s wrong, Jack?”
He pulled her close and breathed in the sweet scent of her hair. She always smelled like peaches. Jack had started to crave them.
“Nothing’s wrong.” He wasn’t lying. Everything was perfect. Sam came around the other side, and he hugged her from the back. Abby sighed and leaned against him, obviously loving the way they surrounded her. Sam looked over her shoulder solemnly at Jack. Jack knew his partner was feeling every bit as emotional as he was. Sam knew. He had known all along that this woman was theirs. She completed them and made them a family.
“You look stunning.” Sam laid a gentle kiss on her shoulder.
“There won’t be a man in town tonight that will be able to keep his eyes off you,” Jack added. He frowned at the thought. She looked really amazing. There was no question Abigail was the most beautiful woman this town had probably ever seen. She was sexy as hell, and her sophisticated dress bespoke years of big city living. “Maybe you should put on a sweater.”
Abby threw her head back and laughed. “Not on your life, Barnes. I will not cover up this work of art with a staid, old sweater. I assure you, the people around here have seen a cocktail dress before.”
“Not the way you fill it out, they haven’t,” Jack grumbled. He was already thinking about how he was going to handle covetous eyes. He would just stare them all down. He could handle it if all they did was look, but the first hand that touched was likely to get ripped off.
Even in heels, Abby had to go up on her toes to press her lips against Jack’s. “You like the way I fill it out?” The question was husky and did all sorts of things to Jack’s cock.
“I love the way you fill out everything, darlin’.” All of Jack’s previous thoughts were lost in that haze of lust that seemed to follow Abby around. Jack let his hands roam the curve of her hips as he deepened the kiss, tasting the mint of her mouth and groaning as her tongue reached out to his.