Chapter Eight
“T here’s my favorite girl!”
“Hi, Papa Joe…are the fish biting?” Emmie was first out of the truck and running to find a bear hug awaiting her from the older man. Cole and Jessie followed at a more sedate pace.
“They sure are and our fishing poles are ready, and worms are fighting to be the first one on your hook.”
“Are you planning to catch our dinner? If so, I’ll head back to town and get some sandwich fixings just in case,” Cole joked as the two men shared a handshake and slap on back.
“I’ve got a roast in the oven just in case, smarty pants,” the man returned the joke. And then his smile widened as it landed upon Jessie. “Welcome to my humble abode, Miss Jessie. Your presence certainly brightens things up a bit around here. Do you fish by any chance?”
“Afraid I have never tried that before.”
“Well, who knows, you just might want to give it a try sometime. You can come out here and I’ll show you how it’s done.
I would say your fiancé could show you, but he hasn’t lifted a fishing pole in years.
I keep telling him he’d be a much more contented person if he would, but he doesn’t listen.
” He gave a wink along with those words.
They were clearly meant to tease his nephew.
“While you two are at your favorite fishing hole, is there anything we can do here towards dinner?” Cole spoke up ignoring the man’s taunts.
“Nothing right now. We’ll need a salad tossed together when the meat is done in an hour or so.
You show Jessie around the falls and pool…
relax for once. Oh, and when you get down to the shallow pool, best bring the dessert back with you.
Little one and I have some fishing to get to today.
” He pulled his fishing cap down on his forehead and joined an impatiently waiting Emmie with their fishing poles in hand.
She gave a quick wave as they started off.
“Fishing poles? He wasn’t kidding. I remember my brother making long cane poles into simple fishing poles when they were kids.”
“Yes, my uncle prefers them over a good rod and reel. He swears they bring in the bigger fish. And Emmie is a true convert to that theory.” He nodded in the direction of the cabin. “I’ll give you a tour of the place and then show you some of the falls.”
He led the way along the pathway of stone squares towards the low-roofed ‘cabin’ but as they neared the structure, Jessie was aware it was more than her first thought. The decking surrounded the structure on all sides. Stepping through the doorway that Cole held open for her, she had to smile.
“Some fishing cabin,” she said and shook her head.
“This is beautiful.” Her gaze took in the large fireplace that encompassed one wall made of natural river stones.
The view of the river drew her steps to it.
Large sliding glass doors opened onto a wide expanse of deck that ended just over the river’s edge.
Deep blue cushioned chairs surrounded a round table in one corner with a bright shade covering part of it.
Lounge chairs rested on the other side of the deck.
She turned and saw off to the left a long bar separating the modern kitchen from the living room.
There was a hall on the other side of the room. Cole noted her glance.
“There is a large bathroom that separates two bedrooms down a common hallway. Through the door beside the refrigerator in the kitchen you will find stairs that lead down to a basement that Uncle Joe refers to as the rec room…bunkbeds for extra guests along with another bathroom and his pride and joy…his pool table. Don’t let him fool you into playing a game with him. He is a real pool shark.”
“Point taken. Thanks for the warning. This is an amazing place. It is such a beautiful spot and so peaceful. Uncle Joe is a lucky man.”
Cole had looked in on the roast while she had made her comments.
“That smells incredible,” she commented.
He nodded and closed the oven. “Uncle Joe watches the cooking shows. Don’t say anything.
It’s his secret except we all found out some time ago.
When he lost Aunt Eva, he said he almost starved to death because she was the cook of the family.
So, he began watching the shows and then boxes of pots and pans and all sorts of kitchen gadgets began arriving at the ranch’s post office and after some investigating…
without him knowing…we found out he was becoming quite a chef. ”
“I will say again that you all are lucky to have him in your family.”
“That brings me to something I meant to ask you about. You mentioned before about brothers who liked to fish. Any other siblings?”
“Yes. But where are these falls you were going to show me? And I take the dessert in the pool he mentioned is the cold watermelon?” She turned towards the front door. He was left to catch up.
“Yes, to watermelon and you really don’t share much information when it comes to you, do you.”
“Job requirement. On the job there is no time for errors and that includes anything personal.”
“Just one question between us and no one else?”
“What question might that be? And I did not mean I would provide an answer.”
He had stopped beside the river, and she did the same.
“Do you have a husband or special someone tucked away in that other life of yours? The real one?”
Gaze met gaze. Silence.
“No.” Then she turned on her heel and he could follow or not.
*
She was a closed book. Cole found it both infuriating and commendable at the same time.
He couldn’t understand why it seemed so important to want more information about the woman.
He tried to tell himself it was simply because she was around his daughter and his loved ones, and he wanted to know more about the person living amongst them.
But there was something else to it and it was like a squeaky door in his brain that wouldn’t stay open but kept shutting before he could make it through to the other side.
At least that was the best analogy he could come up with.
Earlier that morning, he had found her in the kitchen with Emmie and Marcella.
They had been laughing about something in a recipe.
He had moved around the corner slowly and found both Emmie and Jessie up to their elbows in a bowl of freshly made bread dough with traces of flour on their aprons and Emmie had a swipe on her cheek and Jessie had one on her nose.
He had remarked by way of announcing his presence that whatever they were making was going to taste great as he heard that the mark of a great chef was how much of the ingredients they actually ended up wearing.
That brought more laughter, and he had even smiled.
It felt like a good way to begin a day. A smile had stayed with him in fact for most of the morning.
“Is this the waterfall?” The question brought him back to the moment.
“It’s one of several. These falls are a steady progression down the river from the springs located on the Lockwood Ranch. They widen into a river that has limestone that falls down the length to form natural pools and then onward to a sizable lake just beyond the next bend.”
“I thought I heard that the springs on the Lockwood Ranch were warm. This water feels much colder.” She had dipped her fingers into the water to test it, careful to plant her feet solidly on the rock-strewn edge as she bent down.
“They’re heated at the source and then along the way they encounter more springs that are the frigid ones. Then in this stretch of water, you have changes that you feel here, hence the name for a similar river not far from here, called the Frio. Frio means cold or frigid.”
“I’ve said it before, but I can’t help repeating it. This is a beautiful country. You and your family are lucky to live here and have it to enjoy each day. See the seasons when they change.
Watch the animals give birth and grow. Have the fruit of all your labors borne out before you.
Plus, it is a great place for a family to have roots that last more than one generation.”
He sensed more than heard the envy hiding beneath the words. Cole had a feeling it was more than a cursory reaction. Jessie was a mystery with many layers, and he wondered if anyone had ever taken the time to fathom them all.
“So, are you a lifer in this job of yours? Maybe planning to go upwards to a desk and an office and leave the field work behind?”
“I don’t make long-range plans. One assignment at a time.”
They were moving over some uneven ground along the bank and Cole reached out to place a steady hand on her elbow. To his surprise, she didn’t jerk away…not right away.
“You’re good with Emmie. Thinking about settling down with a home and family of your own one day? Or are you a career-minded agent seeing the world?”
“Why such an interest in my plans?” She stopped and faced him.
“Just making small talk. I can see you’re dedicated to your job.
But I also get the feeling that there is more you want besides being moved from place to place and always being someone you aren’t.
Maybe I’m interested to know just who the real you is.
Some parts of you I think come through now and then, but you guard the others well. ”
“I’ve been working on this case in one way or another for the last three years.
This is as close as we have come to what we are after.
The day we can close this whole operation is the day I will think about walking away and finding some sort of regular life for me.
Until then, I will do my job the best I can.
And it’s not that I guard myself, it’s that I’m careful who I let get too close to. Maybe I don’t want them to get hurt.”
“You do try to guard your heart, but I think it’s too big for that.
I remember how you were the first time we crossed paths, and you cared that a little girl got her yellow folder.
You have a heart when helping the horses that day at the stables.
You cared to listen to my daughter when she was wondering if any boy would like her.
And here you are with a heart to admire the natural beauty and peace around you and speak of family that can last generations.
I am very sure you have a heart…a good one.
One that has more room in it than you might even know. ”
“You always think you’re right, don’t you? Did anything ever surprise you and show you that maybe you don’t?” She was not used to having someone dissect her and any feelings she might have in such a manner. It caught her off guard.
“Maybe one thing…but maybe not. The only way to find out is to test it.”
Time slowed. His hand rose with slow deliberation.
A warm palm slid around to cup her cheek, and a slight pressure applied to raise her head to meet his lowered one.
An indrawn breath waited for the moment when male lips feathered along hers, slightly parted on a second soft intake of breath, before the kiss deepened and laid claim to a full exploration.
Heartbeats raced beneath heated palms. Jesse almost forgot every reason why such a thing would not be a good idea…
almost. Thank Heavens for small interruptions. In this case, it was Emmie.
“Papa Joe said you two need to stop being kissy-faced and get the watermelon on your way to dinner. The roast is ready.” Those words sailed from behind them followed by a nervous giggle that turned into a full-blown laugh as Emmie turned and ran back along the path to the house.
Jesse stopped and stepped back, hands dropping to her sides.
In another realm perhaps the whole moment might have been laughable.
But she couldn’t muster that feeling now.
Her gaze met Cole’s, and she wished she could read the man as easily as she could most of her clients.
He stepped back in haste when she did, but he misjudged the space from where he stood and the edge of the pool.
He landed feet first in the water. Water splashed loudly in the quiet of the afternoon.
“Are you okay?” Jessie found her senses to ask the question.
The cowboy stood up straight and gave a shake of his wet head.
The Stetson was no longer on his head but pouring water as he held it in his hand.
Then his other hand raised, and she saw the green watermelon in its clear plastic netting.
At least he saved the dessert. But he was soaked, his shirt dripping and clinging to a broad chest that reminded her of the kiss, and she hoped the heat rising in her cheeks was not noticeable.
“Just had to get the dessert. It’s nice and cold.”