Judy Duarte - The Boss, the Bride & the Baby

She knew Carly and Braden well. Jason, though, was more of a lone wolf. A wealthy and successful one, from what she’d heard.

He’d gone into business with his father right after college. And he’d rarely come back, except for Granny Rayburn’s funeral. But he’d left town nearly as quickly as he’d come in.

He scanned the small diner. When his eyes zeroed in on her, a smile stretched across his handsome face, creating a pair of dimples and sparking a glimmer in his green eyes.

As he sauntered toward her, as lean as a cowboy and as cocky as a man used to staking his claim on just about anything he had a mind to, she nearly dropped the coffee carafe.

“Well,” he said, flashing a boyish grin and sending her heart rate topsy-turvy, “if it isn’t Bird Legs.”

She couldn’t help but return his smile. “If I remember correctly, I threw a rock at you the last time you called me that.”

“Yes, you did. I’d been bad-mouthing my brother, Braden, and you felt the need to stick up for him. And if I recall, you missed me by a mile.”

“That’s true, but I scared your horse.”

“Thankfully, I’m a good rider.”

That he was, although the mare had gotten skittish and Juliana had been sure he was going to get thrown. But she hadn’t liked him picking on Braden, who’d been her friend and sometime riding buddy.

She lifted the glass carafe, which bore more brown stain than coffee. “I’m brewing a new pot. If you’d like to grab a seat, I can pour you a fresh cup.”

“Sounds good. Thanks. Which tables are yours?”

He wanted her to be his waitress? Okay. Why not? She nodded toward the yellow-gingham curtains. “Any of those by the window.”

“All right.”

She retrieved a menu, as well as a fresh pot of coffee, and took them to him. “Here you go.” After upturning the white mug on the table in front of him, she filled it. “Cream or sugar?”

“Just black.”

“Okay. I’ll give you a minute to decide what you’d like, then I’ll come back.”

“Thanks. It won’t take me long.”

She felt his eyes on her back as she returned the carafe to where it belonged. Yet she feared there was more heat radiating from his stare than the coffee warmer.

Margie, who’d worked at the diner for as long as Juliana could remember, sidled up next to her and snatched the carafe labeled decaf. “Isn’t that Jason Rayburn?”

“Yes, it is. I talked to Carly not long ago, and she said he’s staying out at the Leaning R while he’s getting it ready to sell.”

“That’s what I heard.” Margie was up on all the local gossip, whether it was accurate or not. “But he’s grown up since I last seen him, so I hardly recognized him. He doesn’t favor Braden much, does he? But he does have the look of a womanizer.”

“Why do you say that?” Juliana asked.

“Looks too much like his daddy to not be. And you know what they say. The apple doesn’t fall far from the tree.”

Charles Rayburn had grown up on the Leaning R with his paternal grandparents, but it had been his maternal grandfather who’d paid for his college and who’d set him up in business. At that point, he’d pretty much left Brighton Valley in the dust. Or so they said.

“I’d better get his order.” Juliana stepped away from Margie and made her way back to where Jason sat near the window.

The morning sun cast a glare on the dull brown Formica tabletop, but it had nothing on the sunny smile Jason tossed her way when she asked, “What’ll it be?”

“Huevos rancheros. I haven’t had that in ages.”

“You got it.” But instead of turning and walking away, she took a moment to bask in the glimmer of those meadow-green eyes. What color would a city girl call them?

Enough of that now. She had to get over her fixation on a palette of colors ready to spring to life on a blank canvas. She’d have to postpone her dream of becoming an artist.

And a romance gone bad made any other fantasies out of the question, too. So she returned to the kitchen and placed Jason’s order. As much as she ought to keep her distance, she had a job to do.

“Can I refill your coffee?” she asked when she passed his table a few minutes later.

“Yes, thanks.” He eyed her for a moment, as though assessing her.

Was he considering how much she’d changed? Did he like what he saw? Again, she chastised herself for letting her thoughts veer in that direction, even though it seemed only natural to wonder as his gaze caressed her face, her hair, her eyes.

“Carly told me you were working here,” he said.

“Just a couple days a week. I was laid off at the art gallery in Wexler and plan to find work in Houston. This is just a temporary position to help tide me over until I find something permanent in the city.”

“Well, I’m glad you were working today.”

The way he continued to study her made her wonder if he’d come in just to see her—and not to order breakfast. But she quickly dismissed the idea. “I’m glad I was here, too, Jason. It’s nice to see you, again. How long has it been? Ten years?”

“Something like that.”

She smiled and nodded toward the kitchen. “I’ll check on your breakfast.”

Fortunately, Caroline was just placing his plate on the counter. So Juliana picked it up, along with a couple of warm flour tortillas and a small dish of butter. Then she placed his meal in front of him.

“Did my sister tell you I was staying out at the Leaning R?” he asked.

“She mentioned it.”

“Did she tell you why?”

“She said you plan to sell the place.” And that she wasn’t any happier about the decision than Braden was. But Juliana knew enough to keep that to herself.

“I also need to inventory everything and get it ready to sell. It’s a huge job, and I need to hire someone to help me. Carly mentioned that you might be interested in the position.”

“That depends.” Juliana definitely needed the extra money.

“If you’re talking about the pay, I’d make it worth your time.”

She placed a hand on her tummy, a movement that was becoming a habit, then let it drop. In truth, she was thinking more about the time it would take for her to get the job done. She only dared spend a few more weeks to a month in the area before her baby grew too big to hide. “What do you have in mind?”

“Can you take a leave of absence from here? I’d need you full-time for about three weeks.”

She wasn’t even working four hours a day as it was, and she suspected Caroline had only offered her the position as a favor to her grandma.

“I’d be willing to pay you a thousand dollars a week,” Jason said.

Her pulse rate shot through the roof, and she struggled to keep her jaw from dropping to the floor. That was more money than she could expect to make anywhere. And it would certainly help her relocate to Houston and give her time to find another position.

“There’s a guest room at the ranch,” he added. “You can either commute each day or stay there, if you’d like. Whatever you’re comfortable doing. But it’s going to take a lot of work and time. Granny was sweet as can be, but she wasn’t very organized.”

Not that Juliana wanted to stay out at the ranch with Jason, but the sooner she got out of her mom’s house and away from downtown Brighton Valley, the better her chances were of keeping her pregnancy secret.

Still, she was torn about accepting the offer. After all, the man’s father had had a reputation for loving and leaving the ladies, which meant Jason might not be honorable, upright or honest. And she’d just gotten out of a relationship with a man like that.

Besides, what would the townspeople say if they thought she was shacking up with Jason out at the Leaning R?