Free Stony Creek Cowboy [Stony Creek] (Siren Publishing Classic) by Taylor Berke Page B

yes, he was a good man for observing that she must like them from some of the things in her house. However, she surely thought he must have some feelings for her, something, no? She became awash with insecurity as she pondered that perhaps she had misread the situation again. He wanted her. No doubts in that department. An erection like his does not lie, but perhaps she was being too much of a girl and getting swept away in the moments.
    She decided to put the note and him out of her mind. Patients, charts, and abscesses. Yes, these were things she could handle with ease and made sense to her. With that, she went out to start her day.
    “These are so much nicer than the dead bouquet that I found on the steps this morning!” Julia told Billie.
    “You found dead flowers on the steps? Who the heck would do that?” Billie asked. It seemed like there were lots of weird things around here that she didn’t quite get yet.
    “I have no idea but I am sure someone just didn’t make it over to the trash bin outside. No worries. Now, back to that gorgeous bouquet and that note.” Julia smiled.
    Billie looked at Julia and almost laughed at her expression. “What about it?”
    “Did he tell you that he loves you yet?” quizzed Julia with a knowing look.
    “Drink your darned champagne, Julia!” We are both going to need it! she thought.
     
    * * * *
     
    Cursing a blue streak, Jackson had the rapt attention of both of his brothers. He hated fixing the fences, but it was a very necessary job unless he felt like donating their cattle to the lucky dumbass rancher next door, Hunter. He felt unbalanced and confused. Those were two emotions that he didn’t care to deal with and had little experience in handling successfully. I am a man, he thought. What the hell do I need with all of this sensitivity crap? So she got the flowers. So she politely thanked him. So what if she hadn’t given him any subliminal messages on how she felt about the way he could make her lose her focus. He wondered if she sat there and had dreams like he did, for instance, his personal favorite, the one of him taking her succulent ass. It made him salivate with erotic images so intense, he could almost feel the tight heat of her taking his cock in. So what?
    After his younger brothers watched him struggle with the same piece of fencing for what felt like the thirtieth time, Ben intervened.
    “Got something on your mind that you would like to talk about, Jackson?” Ben asked gently.
    The only response came in the form of a pair of work gloves Jackson had thrown, which went flying right by Ben’s head. Well, that and then Jackson giving Ben a nasty look with his hands extended. He expected Ben to give him his gloves back.
    “Hey Troy, do you want a new pair of really nice gloves? I apparently got a pair from our very generous old brother, who is acting like an idiot.”
    “Give me my gloves back, Ben, and I won’t use your face as a hammer for these posts,” Jackson grumbled a bit too loudly. “Troy, if you and Dear Abby over there are about done trying to dispense unwanted advice, do you think you can get your pampered asses over here to help?”
    Jackson took note of the curious glances that went between the younger Powell men as they thoughtfully observed him acting unusually out of sorts. Jackson sighed and sat back down on a nearby rock.
    “I sent her flowers. I, Jackson Elliot Powell, sent a woman flowers. Did she fall into my arms after receiving them? No, she didn’t. Did she come over and kiss the daylights out of me to thank me? No, she didn’t. Did she even call to acknowledge me? No, she didn’t. She just sent me a text. A damned text! What the hell is that?”
    With that out of his system, he then threw his pliers in one direction and wire cutters in the other. Troy and Ben watched the temper tantrum with unveiled amusement, much to Jackson’s annoyance. He knew that they had never seen him so unhinged. Never. Not even with his divorce