Rori and Jackson: The Sons of Dusty Walker (5 page)

“What?” Rori pulled the bedsheet up and covered herself.
Sitting on her bed staring at a gorgeously handsome Jackson standing half-naked
in her bedroom, she could barely put a whole thought together.

He paced. “No, I’m sorry. That came out wrong.”

He thought she was going to shut down this building and
reopen in KC? How had that communication gotten completely backward? “No,
Jackson, listen. I’m—”

“I know you miss your parents.” He stopped pacing, holding a
hand out, then forming a fist with it. “But wouldn’t you miss…this town? We’d
barely see each other.”

“Jackson. Wait.” Hadn’t she discussed opening a second
branch of Cyber Wise with him? Probably not, from his reaction. No wonder he’d
been acting so strange. “I’m not moving to KC. The new store there will be a
second location for Cyber Wise, and it’ll be run by someone I’ll hire to do the
work there.”

“Your parents said they wanted you closer to them.” He
narrowed his eyes at her.

“They did, but I assumed they meant that they wanted me in
KC more often than I was getting there now. I’ve worked on my business plan
with them, two stores to start with. So opening a new branch would get me back
home a few times a month.”

That had him frowning. “Okay, so maybe I misunderstood.”

There was more to this conversation than he was admitting.
“As far as us never seeing each other, you’ve been gone more than you’ve been
here in Red Creek, Jackson.” Now was the time to get things out in the open. “The
reason is easy to see. You are having second thoughts about being here in Red
Creek, right?” There, she’d said it. It hung there, like a gray cloud between
them.

“I…I don’t know.” He shook his head and rubbed his forehead
as if realizing something was wrong with what he’d just said.

His words opened a flood of heartache. She had to give him
one more chance to see why he could put down roots in this town, even if she
wasn’t enough to keep him here. “You have your brothers, your company, your
family’s history here.”

“I want to be here with you.” His eyes held sincerity, but
he seemed more confused than ever.

“But?”

He dropped his head and shoved his hands in his front
pockets.

“Jackson, why won’t you open up to me? What is it?” She
wanted to go to him, but sensed he needed his space.

He glanced at her, then away. Her cowboy never shut down
like this. His uncertainty about Red Creek—about her—must be something he’d
been struggling with.

She reached for her robe and slid it on before standing up.
Somehow, being unclothed in front of him didn’t feel right, now. “It’s all
happened so fast. We’re both new at this. Do we need to…?” The words nearly
made her gag. “Do you think we should slow down and look at things from a
distance?”

He jerked back as if she’d thrown a rock at him. “What are
you saying?”

“Are we sure this is what we want, or have things changed
since that first week you were here?”

“Changed? Do you think they’ve changed?” His eyes darted
nervously.

She could tell he was looking for answers, and she had to
give him the opportunity to find them. She’d give them a little time, some
separation, and if he came back, she’d welcome him and help him adjust. If he
didn’t come back, she would know she’d done the right thing. Jackson was a free
spirit, and trying to hold him where he didn’t want to be would only make him
bitter, filled with regret.

She’d make this easy for him. “I don’t know if things have
changed between us, but I want to give us some time to think about it clearly.”
She looked at the bed, then at him. “Without our attraction distracting us.”
Rori took a steadying breath. “Starting now.”

“You want me to go?” His voice cracked on that last word.

No, she did not want him to go. She wanted him to apologize
for being unsure, and to tell her everything would work out, and to promise
never to keep his doubts and his indecision from her ever again. “Yes. I think
that would be best.” She prayed he’d refuse to leave until they cleared this
all up, but that was not his style. He was a lost cowboy in so many ways, and
she couldn’t be the anchor that weighed him down and kept him here if he wanted
to roam.

“I’m not good at relationships, Rori.” He headed out to the
other room, zipping his jeans as he went. In the living area, he pulled his
shirt back on as he walked to the door, his back to her. “Actually, this is my
first. So if you want some space…” He set his hand on the door handle and
waited.

His first relationship? Oh crap, of course it was. He was a
rodeo bronc rider, still feeling like that fifteen-year-old, running from home,
with an overwhelming fear of commitment. Rori could go to him now, pull him
into her arms, and apologize, tell him she’d acted impulsively, beg him to
stay.

When she didn’t speak, he opened the door and headed down
the steps, his boots striking heavily.

She watched him go, everything inside her wanting to call
him back. But he needed some separation to get this figured out, and she needed
her own time to think. Maybe a little space would work well for both of them
right now.

He opened the lower door, looked up at her with an innocent,
pleading gaze, then walked out, closing the door quietly.

That look in his eyes nearly broke her into a thousand
pieces. Rori closed the door at the top and leaned back on it, her knees
wobbling. “Great work, genius. You’ve chased away the best thing to ever happen
to you.” How soon was too soon to go groveling to him and begging his
forgiveness?

She pressed her fist to her mouth to stop a cry from
escaping. Plopping down on the couch in the spot Jackson had vacated, she
breathed through the turmoil inside her and turned on her newest game. As tears
still threatened, she tried to lose herself in the action, but kept mulling
over what he’d said, what she’d said, and what neither of them had said.

They’d never spoken a word about how they felt about each
other. She loved him, and had since the day she’d first laid eyes on him.
Staring at the screen, she lowered her weapon and let the evil ninja assassin
slaughter her snowy Valkyrie guardian avatar.

Love? With his history, was Jackson even capable of love?

****

The next morning, Jackson woke on the lonely single bed in
one of the bedrooms in the just-delivered mobile home on Osprey Lake. Last
night had been one of the worst of his life. For too long, he’d been running
out of town when he should have been staying and trying to figure out what he
wanted.

Leaving? That was easy for him. Staying? Scarier than any
demon he’d ever faced. Why was that? How had he learned to turn off the homing
instinct? What made him want to wander?

He could blame it on Dusty, both learned behavior and
whatever he’d inherited in his DNA, but it had to be time to stand up and make
a choice based on what Jackson wanted, not what history dictated.

When she’d asked him to leave, he knew he’d messed up in a
world-class way, but he’d also admitted to himself right then, that she’d been
right. They did need time to sort through everything. Their relationship seemed
to be happening too fast for anyone to get a good grip on the reins.

The feeling in his chest last night, though, as he’d walked
down those steps and out the door? He’d never expected anything that strong was
lying dormant within him, waiting for the opportunity to claw at him. Even
hearing that his father had died hadn’t affected him that fiercely. Thank God
his mother was coming to town. She’d be able to help him sift through all
this…emotion.

“Uh.” He hated this feeling. Pain. Here was another reason
for him to avoid relationships, besides the fear of hurting any woman foolish
enough to take up with him. Having his heart broken was not pleasant.

Maybe she’d changed her mind. The possibility had him
grabbing for his phone. He didn’t want to sound needy, though. He went with
safe, and sent Rori a text, telling her that if she wanted, he would be at the
apartment in a half hour to get his things.

She replied with a simple,
Okay
.

That one word nearly stopped his already shattered heart.
But what had he expected? Rori wasn’t the type to beg him to stay, and tell him
she’d take him any way he would have her, including part-time whenever he had
the whim to roll back into Red Creek.

He showered and shaved, putting on one of the shirts his
mother had sent him. He loved his momma, and wished they could figure out a way
to be closer. Maybe, with Jackson building his own home and not just dropping
in at their home in Bandon, Sapphire would start looking for someone to replace
Dusty. She deserved a full-time kind of love.

His phone sounded. A text came in and he picked it up. From
Rori.
I put everything in boxes at the foot of the steps.

He couldn’t draw breath. Rori didn’t even want to see him?

He typed.
Can I bring my mom by the store, just to say
hello?
Sapphire had been looking forward to meeting “his Rori” for so long,
he didn’t want to disappoint her.

Okay
. That damn one-word reply again.

He typed,
Thanks
, then deleted it before sending.
Sarcasm would not help make things right. And he did want to do that—make
things right—one way or another. He just had to figure out where his head was
at before he went back to Rori with his answer to her question on whether he
was having second thoughts about living in Red Creek.

“Right.” More so when he’d thought she was moving to KC and
abandoning him in Red Creek. That one incident had sent his whole world spinning
like a carnival ride. Then, when she’d told him she wasn’t moving, he should
have felt relief. Damned if he didn’t just feel more afraid of the choice in
front of him. And damned if he knew where this was going to end up for them.

Jackson stopped by Dusty’s house to say hi to Lou and
Marliss, and sat at the kitchen counter while Lou cooked him his favorite
breakfast, eggs, pancakes, bacon, and sausage. The three of them talked about
the new mobile home and all the furnishings that came with it. He let them know
that his mother was on her way, and she and Jackson would be staying in it for
a few days.

“Why didn’t you tell us?” Marliss swatted at Jackson with
her dusting cloth. “What do you have in that trailer for food?” Her curly,
black hair belied her near-retirement age.

He scratched the side of his head. “Well, I was figuring
we’d eat out, and I’d take her with me to the grocery store on the way back
here.”

Lou snorted. “Not likely.” He pulled open the freezer door
and started sifting through. “There’s enough here to feed a small battalion.”
Looking like a familiar movie star, Lou’s tall, fit body and full head of
graying hair disappeared behind the door.

“I don’t want to put you to any trouble.” He sipped on a cup
of Lou’s strong coffee.

“It’s no trouble.” Marliss looked around the room. “There’s
nobody here, and nothing to do.” She twirled her rag. “Why, I’m so bored, I’m
gettin’ the urge to do some mobile home cleaning, too.”

Lou pulled out a few packages and set them on the counter.
“We’ll stock your refrigerator, don’t you worry about that. And I’ll make up
some reheatable meals.”

“You two are incredible. I wish I could tell you I didn’t
need your help, but I sure do. Thank you, and sorry for not thinking ahead and
giving you any notice.” He’d meant to clean the place yesterday, straighten it
up some, but he’d gotten distracted, then had been too heartsick after Rori
showed him out her door. “I hope you get a chance to meet my mom. She’s really
something special.”

Marliss sat next to him. “Is she your only relative on that
side of the family?”

“She is. And besides my brothers, she’s it for family.”

“Well.” Lou opened his cookbook. “There’s the Colorado
cousins.”

“Colorado cousins?” That was the first Jackson had heard
about them. “I have cousins?”

“You do, after a fashion.” Marliss ticked off on her
fingers. “A second cousin once removed, and a few third cousins. Your dad’s
deceased cousin’s wife, Mercy Walker, and her four girls.”

“I didn’t know about them.” Of course, his dad would never
have told him about them, since Dusty was the master of keeping secrets. “Are
we on speaking terms?”

Marliss laughed. “If you aren’t now, you will be by
Christmas. She likes to show up for the holiday. Used to drive Theresa batty.”

Lou shook his head, but Marliss went on. “Theresa, in her
multi-thousand-dollar dresses, and Mercy in her boots and jeans.” She rolled
her eyes with a smile. “It was fun to watch. Interesting conversations got
hatched, I can tell you.”

“She came for the funeral, Mercy did.” Lou leaned against
the counter. “Talked to the lawyer, too. I suppose she figured her daughters
were the only living relatives.” He gave a lopsided grin. “Big surprise there.”

Jackson wondered if Mercy and her clan would show up for
Christmas this year. “Should I get in touch with her? Invite her and her
daughters?”

Marliss and Lou shared a look. “No.” Marliss stood and
headed to the refrigerator. “Mercy’s girls are grown and scattered. They
haven’t been here since their daddy died, some four years ago.” She pulled out
unopened cartons of milk, cream, and packages of sliced cheese from the
refrigerator and set them on the counter, then looked at Jackson. “Your momma?
She’s not one of them vegie-tarians, is she?”

“No, ma’am. Eats dairy, meat, and loves chocolate.” Jackson finished
his coffee and stood.

“Chocolate, huh?” Lou flipped the pages of his cookbook. “I
got just the thing.”

“Thank you. Both of you.” Jackson checked the clock. “I’ve
gotta make a stop before I pick up Mom, but I can’t tell you how much your—”