“None of this parenting stuff comes naturally, no matter what anyone tells you. It’s live and learn.
And usually, the first baby ends up being the guinea pig. Poor Eliza, huh?” She smiled. “Go call Brandt.
Let me know what you find out from the doctor.”
For some reason it made Jessie feel better that Brandt exhibited the same initial panicked reaction she had. He called Dr. Monroe and set up an appointment, then called Jessie back, promising he’d meet her at the doctor’s office in Sundance after he cleaned up.
By the time she finished a couple things, got Landon loaded, and traveled the less than ideal road conditions, she figured Brandt would beat her to the doctor’s office.
Sure enough, he jumped out of his truck the second he saw her. He didn’t look in the rear cab, at Landon. He cupped his hand over Jessie’s cheek. His eyes roamed her face. “Honey, no offense, but you look like hell.”
Jessie gave him equal scrutiny. “You don’t look one hundred percent rested yourself, Brandt.”
“I’m not.”
She sensed something else was bothering him. “What happened?”
“Funerals suck. I didn’t know my mom’s cousin, but she was really close to him at one time. It was weird, bein’ around those people, who are just as much my relatives as the McKays, and I know nothin’
about any of them.”
“Did it make you sad?”
“No. It made me aware.”
“Of?”
“What it might be like for Landon in the future with us.”
Jessie bit back the next question—how far Brandt would go to ensure Landon wouldn’t be a stranger in the McKay family.
Brandt’s thumb arced over her cheekbone, beneath her eye, in such a loving move she had no idea how she resisted the temptation to lean into his gentle touch. It’d been so long since she’d been touched. So very long.
“Jess—”
Landon cried out and the moment ended.
The three of them trooped into the doctor’s office. Which was completely full. Completely full of people she knew.
Great.
She held Landon on her lap while Brandt filled out the paperwork. Finally Brandt gave up on deciphering the Title IXX forms and agreed to pay cash for the visit, since Landon didn’t have health insurance.
Brandt tried to take Landon from her, to give her arms a break from constantly holding him, but Landon shrieked and wouldn’t let go of her.
This brought the attention of the whole room their way. Whatever buzz their appearance generated that’d kept people gossiping amongst themselves for twenty minutes ended.
A woman Jessie recognized as one of the local bar rats with half a dozen kids from half a dozen husbands sidled in front of them. Her gaze flicked from Landon to Brandt. She smiled. “Brandt McKay.”
“Francie.”
“I haven’t seen you in Ziggy’s for a while.”
“Been busy. You know how that goes.”
Her gaze zeroed in on Landon. “I guess you have been busy. I didn’t know you had a kid.”
The way she cooed it, as if she was considering him as father material for her kids, set Jessie’s teeth on edge.
“I don’t. This is my nephew. He’s sick.”
Most people would’ve gotten the hint and left. Not this woman. She switched her curiosity to Jessie.
“I know you. You used to come in to Ziggy’s once in a while with—”
“Keely McKay? We hung around for a while during dart league season last year.”
When the woman’s eyes took on a mean glint, Jessie realized this bar wench probably knew more about Luke’s nocturnal activities than she did. “No. You used to come in with your husband. Luke, right?
Although I’ll admit he came in by himself frequently.”
“Yeah, well, I doubt he’s been in recently since he’s dead.”
Brandt stilled next to her, shocked by her smartass response.
Jessie was sick of feigning ignorance about Luke’s blatant infidelity. Better to go on the offensive than to cower in the corner because she’d done that for years and she was finished with the timid routine.
But Francie kept digging for dirt. “So is this your son?” she asked sweetly.
“No. But he is Luke’s son. My dead husband’s secret love child, who I had no idea existed until recently. And yes, I am taking care of him while his mother cleans up her act in jail.”
Francie was dumbfounded, not only by Jessie’s tart response, but by the biting edge to her tone.
“Any more ridiculously invasive questions? No? Good. But you’re more than welcome to fling this really juicy piece of gossip around the bar tonight to get your fair share of free drinks.”
Dismissed, Francie stomped off.
A solid minute passed before Brandt drawled, “Have I mentioned how much I like your new ‘screw you’ attitude? I didn’t think you had it in you, Jess.”
His opinion meant more than she wanted to admit. “I didn’t think I had it in me either. I wouldn’t have done that a year ago. I wouldn’t have wanted to draw attention to myself.”
“You’ve definitely got my attention.”
“Really?”
“But then again, you’ve always had it.”
Jessie faced him. Her pulse spiked when she realized how close their heads were. She could make out every one of his absurdly long black eyelashes. She could see the imperceptible flecks of green in Brandt’s deep blue eyes. She noticed the bump in his nose where it’d been broken in his younger years. She could feel his every quick exhale teasing her lips. She wanted so badly to drop her gaze and leisurely take in the full measure of his mouth, but she didn’t dare. Because for some crazy, mixed-up reason, probably due to lack of sleep, she doubted she’d be satisfied with just a peek at his lips. She’d want a taste. A full taste.
“Jess?” he murmured.
“What’s happening between us?”
“I don’t know, but it’s twisting me in knots.”
“Me too.”
“But unless you wanna add more fuel to Francie’s fire, you’d better stop lookin’ at me like that.”
“Like what?”
“Like you want…well, mostly like you don’t hate me.”
“Brandt, I don’t hate you. I’ve never hated you. It’d be easier if I could. But I can’t. Not by a long shot.”
Whispering to him while staring into his eyes created an odd sort of intimacy.