Not Quite Dating (Not Quite #1)(45)
Author: Catherine Bybee

The lady seemed puzzled by the question. “I’m not sure. We allow our employees to switch schedules a lot during the holidays. Honestly, I’m really not supposed to reveal personal schedules.”

“Of course. I understand.” Monica held her hand out to shake the other woman’s. “Thank you.”

“My pleasure, Monica. Have a merry Christmas.”

“You too.”

As Monica left the hotel, she was sure a set of eyes watched her leave. For the second time that day, she thought the Christmas spirit had flown over the people of Ontario and they were all just a little too eager to help.

Chapter Fourteen

Jack pushed his horse into a fast run, enjoying the cool air hitting his face. His head cleared for the first time in days. With that clarity, reason and regret wiggled in.

He’d messed up bad with Jessie. He should have kept his trap shut about marriage and given the girl more time for him to grow on her.

Now he needed to figure out a way to climb back into her life without her running away. More than ever, he needed to know if she loved him. Katie seemed to think she did, and Katie hadn’t even met Jessie yet.

“What did she say that made you leave her apartment?” Katie had asked in the plane on the way home to Texas.

“She said it was just sex.” Jack had opened up to his sister.

“And you believed her?”

“What was I to think? She turned me down and told me to leave. To find my dreams with someone else. Someone who didn’t have a kid that would strap me down.”

Katie shook her head and rolled her eyes. “Oh, Jack, you’re a fool. Don’t you see what she did?”

“I saw it clear enough. She said no.”

His kid sister sat forward across the aisle of the Lear and leveled her eyes to his. “When you’re riding Dancer, you think long and hard about what you just told me. Long and hard.”

Sitting on the back of his horse on his father’s Texas ranch gave him plenty of time and silence to think.

Jessie was hurting when she’d told him to leave. Her eyes had glossed over with fear and then her jaw had gone firm with determination. The strong mom gene in her kicked in and she drew her line in the sand. Told him he had pushed too far…too fast.

Yet when she’d given him her reasons for saying no, none of them had to do with the persona he’d presented to her. She didn’t say no because he was a transient waiter in a go-nowhere job. No, she’d told him that he would regret asking her one day. So once again, Jessie had to be the adult and say no.

Only she didn’t need to say no. And she wasn’t the only adult in the relationship.

Jack pushed Dancer to the westernmost part of his father’s property and watched the sun move low on the horizon.

He pictured Jessie wearing a sundress and a smile, laughing in the field…a cowboy hat atop her head.

He and Danny could fish on the riverbank. Did Danny like to fish? Chances were the kid hadn’t had a chance to do that yet.

Jack’s throat started to fill with regret.

He needed to fix this. To make the picture he’d painted in his head come true.

“Is this Monica?” Katie asked when a woman picked up the phone.

“This is. Who’s this?”

“Monica, this is Jack’s sister, Katelyn. I hope you don’t mind, but I hijacked your number and thought I’d give you a call.”

Monica hesitated on the line. “I didn’t know Jack had a sister.”

“A meddling one that he would flip out over if he found out I was calling you.”

Monica laughed; the sound was warm and genuine. “Looks like you and I are both in the prying profession. I went to find Jack yesterday, but the people at his work said he wasn’t there.”

“He needed to clear his head…you know, after.”

“After my fool of a sister turned him down.”

Katie smiled. “It doesn’t sound like my brother was very smooth in his proposal.”

“I wasn’t there. According to Jessie, it was abrupt. Don’t get me wrong, they’ve been flirting around each other for weeks. It’s cute, really. My sister is trying like hell to ignore him, and he’s practically flapping his arms to get her to notice.”

The thought of her brother acting like a king peacock made Katie giggle. “Oh, that had to be priceless to watch.”

“What’s sad is how much Jessie wants to disregard him.”

Now they were getting to the meat of the conversation. “Why do you think that is?”

“She’s scared. It’s that simple. Danny is her world. That’s my nephew. I’m sure Jack told you about him.”

Katie swallowed hard. The smile on her face fell, and her throat tightened. “Yeah. He said something about her son.”

“When you have a kid, things aren’t as cut and dry. She’s always been a worrier. Our mom isn’t exactly a stellar example of stability,” Monica told her.

“Neither is ours.”

“Well, Jessie wants to be nothing like our mom. I think if Jack had taken everything a little slower, things would be different.”

Katie liked Monica already. “I can see we are going to get along very well.”

“I think so, too. Maybe we can get them both to see reason.”

Not with a bunch of lies hiding under the tangled web. “Monica, there are some things about Jack that you should both know, but I’m not going to share those secrets. It’s not my place.”

“Oh God…please tell me Jack isn’t in some kind of trouble. No Texas Mounties or whatever you call them are after him or anything?”

“No! Texas Mounties. That’s funny, Monica. No, Jack doesn’t have a record or any hidden bad side.” Quite the opposite.

“Oh, good.”

“Just tell me one thing.” Katie waited for Monica to speak.

“What?”

“Does your sister love my brother?”

Monica chuckled. “She cries every day and hasn’t eaten a whole lot since he left. She tells me she ‘can’t’ love him, but I know love when I see it. Your brother and my sister are made for each other.”

Katie felt her heart swell. “Then you keep your sister occupied until I can get my brother’s head on straight.”

“She has Danny, Christmas, work…and me. She’s busy.”

“Just remind her that Jack’s one of the good guys. He is, by the way.”

“Neither of us thought differently. Like I said. She’s just scared.”