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“No reason. I was just wondering.”
He studied her for a long moment before a big grin spread over his face. “Are you going to go hunt her down and kick her ass, darlin’?”
She scowled. “I’m definitely thinking about it.”
He laughed before he leaned in and softly kissed her. “Thank you, but I think it’s best if we leave the past in the past.” He gave her another kiss, this one longer and deeper. “For now, I’d rather concentrate on the present.” He looked back at the house and a look of awe filled his face. “I own a whorehouse.” He opened the truck door. “Come on! Just wait until you see inside.”
Liberty had been inside of Fanny Fields’s house before. Growing up, it had been a rite of passage to break into the mansion at night and see how long you could stay without getting scared. Liberty had stayed the least amount of time. She had always been scared of the supernatural and the old, crumbling house was the perfect place for ghosts to live.
It still looked that way.
Once inside, they had to step over piles of water-damaged ceiling plaster to get to the rest of the house. But Jesse didn’t seem to be bothered by the mess, or the falling-down ceilings, or the holes rodents had made in the walls.
“Would you look at this bannister and stairs? That’s solid maple, darlin’. And do you see the craftsmanship? They don’t make staircases like that anymore. Just wait until you see the bedrooms.”
The upstairs wasn’t quite as bad as the downstairs, but it still wasn’t good. Most of the windows were broken out and wind whistled through them, blowing the threadbare curtains and making them look like tattered ghosts.
“You have lost your mind, Jesse Cates,” she said as they headed back downstairs so he could show her the carriage house. “There’s no money to make from this old house.”
“I don’t know about that. The more I hear about this house, the more I think it’s worth saving.”
“For what?”
He shrugged. “I don’t know. Maybe I just want to see it returned to its former beauty.” He squeezed her hand and winked at her. “I happen to like beautiful things.”
Liberty shouldn’t get all mushy inside over a compliment from a natural-born charmer. Jesse had no doubt used his lines on numerous women. But knowing that didn’t stop her from melting.
She had been doing a lot of melting lately.
She melted when he smiled. She melted when he laughed. She melted when he looked at her. And she really melted when he touched her. She wished she could stop the melting, but the only way to stop it was to let him go. She couldn’t do that. At least, not yet. She was enjoying their time together too much.
For the last five days, since they had decided to give this thing between them a chance, Jesse had arrived at the ranch bright and early . . . with Tay-Tay in tow. Inside of devoting his attention to her, he devoted his attention to her family. He’d helped Hank clean out the chicken coop and Mimi pull weeds and Darla clean rugs. He’d brought muffins for breakfast and steaks for dinner and Mimi a rosebush.
But regardless of how much time he spent with her family, he always found time to take her somewhere fun: drives through the countryside looking at the last of the spring flowers, horseback riding at the Remington Ranch, and picnics at Cooper Springs.
At night, they’d go back to Corbin’s trailer where Jesse would fulfill every fantasy she’d ever had . . . and some she’d never had but now did.
Jesse was a charmer. He had certainly charmed her.
“So what do you think?” he asked once he had finished showing her the carriage house. A building just as dilapidated as the house.
“I think a stiff wind could knock it over.”
“You have absolutely no vision, Libby Lou.” He waved a hand. “This is a gold mine just waiting to be mined. All it needs is a little love and money.”
“And a bulldozer.”
Her cellphone rang. As soon as she saw it was Belle, Liberty figured it had to do with the Holiday Sisters Events’ calendar Liberty had just filled in that morning. She knew her sister would be upset. Liberty was pretty mad at herself for taking on all the town’s events.
“I need to get this,” she said.
Jesse gave her a brief kiss. “Take your time, darlin’. I want to check out the antique furniture Mrs. Stokes said was in the attic of the carriage house.”
Liberty waited until he walked away before she answered the phone. “Hey, Belly. I guess you saw the new events I put on the calendar.”
“What in the world were you thinking telling all those folks in Wilder we’d do their events, Libby? Especially when some are scheduled in July and August and neither one of us will be there then. You’re heading back to Houston in a week and I’m not planning on staying past June. Not even that long if Jesse can convince Corbin to sell the ranch to Rome. Has he talked with him yet?”
“Jesse wants to talk to Corbin in person and he’s due back any day now. So don’t worry, Belly. Jesse gave me his word he’ll handle it and he will. As for the added events to the calendar, I know I shouldn’t have agreed to help, but they’re our people, Belle. I couldn’t say no. We can do most of the planning from Houston. On the weekend of the events, I don’t mind coming home.”
