Semua Bab Satisfying Her Darkest Fantasies: Bab 1291 - Bab 1300

“So if you’re done inspecting me…”She shrugged. “You had to expect that.”“Yes, I did. Thanks for coming early. I worried Brandt wouldn’t pass along the message that I wanted to meet you.”Jessie frowned. “Why wouldn’t Brandt—”“Because he’s very protective of you.” Samantha leaned back into the booth seat and crossed her arms over her chest, almost defiantly.The waitress took Jessie’s order and neither she nor Samantha said another word, nor did they look at each other until the waitress dropped off the soda and left.“So why the summons, Samantha? I’ll admit I wasn’t sure this was the best idea.”“First of all, I really wanted to thank you in person for all you’ve done for Landon. I…it’s so far above and beyond…”Please don’t get weepy.“Plus, I feel I owe you an explanation about a couple of things regarding Luke.”Jessie held up her hand. “Not necessary. I don’t need the down-and-dirty details about what went on between you two. Landon is proof enough for me. In fact, I’d rather

“No.”Her expression shifted. She whirled to face Lydia. “You get your kicks out of kissing an unwilling man?”“Oh, sugar, don’t kid yourself for a second he was unwilling.”“Bullshit.”Lydia smiled cagily. “What are you gonna believe? What you saw with your own eyes? Or what he tells you? ’Cause, you’re awful damn naïve if you don’t think he’ll lie about what just happened to spare your feelings.”Direct hit. Brandt needed to get Jessie out of here now. “Jessie—”Jessie’s laughter cut him off. “You want proof?” She pointed to Brandt’s groin. “He doesn’t have a hard-on. If anything you did even turned him on a little, he’d be sporting wood. Trust me, I know. So, sugar, take your desperation to some other man because Brandt is not interested in you.”But Lydia wouldn’t let it go. “So you’re Jessie. The poor little widow whose husband couldn’t keep it in his pants.” She gave Jessie a derisive head-to-toe inspection. “No wonder he wandered. Looks like you’re trying—and failing—to prove y

Without saying anything to her? That was strange. Brandt always searched her out when she did chores. Always.Maybe he was tired. Yesterday was long and emotionally trying for both of them. Not to mention he’d kept her up half the night, making love to her until they fell asleep still joined—which had been a first for her, and more romantic than she’d imagined. Draped across Brandt’s warm body, her head nestled under his chin, her knees curled by his hips with his cock still embedded inside her, his hands cupping her ass.She’d woken up a couple hours later when he hardened inside her. He rolled her over and made love to her again, whispering words of devotion. Declaring his undying, never-ending love for her. Making promises she actually believed.It’d been the greatest night of her life.Smiling, she dropped the bucket and the pitchfork next to the gate and raced to the house. She burst inside. “Brandt?”No answer.Lexie lifted her head and gave her a crabby look for disturbing her

“Know what I never understood? Why Casper hated me so much in the first place.”Joan drained her coffee and walked to the kitchen. Almost on automatic, she poured herself another cup, but it sat cooling untouched on the counter for several excruciating minutes while she stared out the front window.Jessie followed her, a feeling of dread settling in her bones. “Joan? Is everything all right?”“No. I can’t even begin to tell you how wrong it is. All of this.” She braced her hands on the counter in front of the sink. “Casper hated you because your bun-in-the-oven marriage to Luke reminded him of me. Of us.”Okay. That was news. Luke had ever mentioned it. Or maybe Luke hadn’t known. “Yours was a shotgun wedding?”“Yes. Are you shocked?”Jessie had to tread lightly. This was the most Joan had ever opened up to her. “Yes. I am.”“Because Casper ended up with someone like me?” Joan asked, not bothering to hide her petulance.“No. The opposite. I can’t fathom how a woman like you ended up w

And what Dash Paulson found sort of shocked us.”“What’s that?”“We were under the impression that if just one of us wanted to sell our portion of the ranch, the other three owners would be forced to sell theirs too. Which is how Casper tried to control us, or at least got away with a lot more shit than we would’ve let him, had we known the real legalities of the matter.”Carson pointed with his beer bottle. “It entails lots of legal gibberish that took us slow readin’ ranchers some time to understand, but the bottom line is we were wrong. Casper never had the power to force us to sell.”Brandt held up his hand. “Wait a second. My dad threatened to sell his portion of the ranch?”“Several times over the years. To be honest, he even went as far as to have it appraised about six months after Luke died.”That son of a bitch. “Why?”“So he could point out what idiots we were for keepin’ it, when we could have more money in our pockets than we could ever spend.”“How much money we talkin’?