Sheri WhiteFeather - The Texan's Future Bride

“I bought those at the emporium in town. I took a chance that you wore that type. I took a chance on the size, too.” She paused, a sweetly shy expression on her face. “I hope it wasn’t too forward of me.” She quickly added, “I got you socks, too. Did you see those?”

“Yes, thank you.” But buying him socks wasn’t nearly as intimate as buying him boxers. “I appreciate everything you’ve been doing for me.”

“I borrowed the clothes before I went into town, and then, while I was shopping for groceries, it hit me that you might need those other things, so I made a quick trip to the emporium.”

“I feel badly that you’ve been spending money on me.”

“It wasn’t that much.”

He begged to differ. He knew how expensive it was to live these days. He returned his attention to the clothes, glad they hadn’t cost her anything. “These should fit. What’s the ranch hand’s name who loaned them to me?”

“Caleb Granger. He isn’t aware of the loan, though. He’s out of town on a personal matter, but he left some of his things behind.”

“You borrowed them without his consent?”

“I didn’t. The foreman did. When I mentioned that I needed clothes for someone who was about the same size as Caleb, he went into Caleb’s cabin and got them for me. I never would’ve done that. I don’t know Caleb very well.”

“You noticed how he was built.”

“He’s tall and muscular, like you. Women notice those sorts of things.”

Curious about this Caleb character and the comparison she’d just made, he asked, “Are you interested in getting to know him better?”

“Oh, my goodness, no. The last I checked, he had eyes for my sister. But I don’t think she’s aware of his interest in her, and now that he’s out of town, it doesn’t matter anyway.”

“It might when he gets back.”

“For him, maybe. But for her? I doubt it. I can’t see Donna dating a ranch hand. She’s Ms. New York. Not that I have a right to criticize her.”

“Why? Are you a fussy dater, too? Are you as picky about your men as your sister is about hers?”

She glanced away and started fidgeting. He’d obviously struck a chord. He should have left it alone, but he was too damned curious to drop it.

“Come on, Jenna. Fess up.”

“There’s nothing to fess.”

He frowned, suddenly imagining her in a bad relationship. “Did someone hurt you? Did you get your heart broken?”

“Oh, no. It’s nothing like that.”

He felt immediately better. She’d been so kind to him, he didn’t want to envision someone being unkind to her. “Then what is it?”

“I guess it won’t matter if I tell you. But you’re probably going to think it’s dumb.” She blew out a breath and continued, “I made a list of the qualities I want in a man, and I’m following it to the letter.”

Well, then. That certainly wasn’t what he expected. “I hope you find what you want.”

“Me, too.”

In the next curious instant, he wondered what sorts of qualities she was after. “Maybe you can show me the list sometime.”

“I don’t think that’s a good idea.”

“Why? Do you have sexual things on it?”

She straightened her spine, looking like a sweet little prude. “I can’t believe you asked me that.”

“Hey, you’re the one who gave me a sexy name, remember?”

“I already explained that I didn’t mean that literally.”

“I know.” He shot her a smile. “I was just teasing you.”

“You have a wicked sense of humor.”

He wondered if a sense of humor was on her list, but decided not to push the issue or tease her anymore about it.

Still, he couldn’t get the list out of his mind. Sooner or later, he would probably ask her about it again.

He set Caleb’s clothes aside and picked up the toiletry satchel. “Is there a shaving kit in here?”

“Truthfully, I’ve never taken inventory of what Donna puts in those, but she’s a really thorough person, so I’m betting there is. I grabbed that from the supply room. I didn’t even tell her that I was taking it.”

“Let’s see how thorough she is, shall we?”

“Sure. Let’s see.”

He opened the bag and started removing the items, placing them on the coffee table and reciting them, one by one. “Soap. Shampoo. Conditioner. Lotion. Toothpaste and mouthwash. Ah here we go. Shaving cream and disposable razors.”

“Donna came through.”

“Yes, she did.” He reached into the satchel again. “There’s a small box of some kind. It’s wedged at the bottom.” He dug it out of the bag and as soon as he held it up, he wanted to shove it back inside.

Condoms.

He looked at Jenna and she stared back at him. He couldn’t think of a thing to say.

And apparently neither could she.

Jenna wanted to strangle herself for not checking out the items ahead of time. She wanted to strangle Donna, too, for being far more thorough than necessary.

Before the silence swallowed them alive, she managed a lame comment. “I guess my sister really did think of everything.”

“She sure did.” He seemed relieved that Jenna had broken the ice. He even smiled.

She was relieved that the moment had passed, too, but she struggled to summon a smile. Her heart was still beating with a quick cadence.

He put the condoms next to the razors. “Are you close?”

“What?”

“You and your sister?”

Funny he should ask. “No. I was just mentioning that to her this morning. How unalike we are. How we don’t communicate all that well to each other.”

“Did you discuss why?”

“No, but it’s because of our family dynamics when we were growing up. Our parents got divorced when we were little, and we lived with our mom. Then she died when I was eight and Donna was nine.”

“I’m sorry.”

“It was ovarian cancer. I still miss her—Mom and I were close. Donna never bonded with her, or anyone, for that matter. But I think Donna wished she’d been closer to Mom. Sometimes, after Mom died, I used to catch her gazing at Mom’s pictures in the most horribly sad way, but then Donna would look away, as if she didn’t want me to know how badly she was hurting.”

“What happened to you and Donna after your mom passed away?”

“We went to live with our dad. But he worked a lot, and we learned to fend for ourselves. I always wondered about my grandfather and his ranch. Secretly I wanted to meet him. But I knew Dad was estranged from his family, so I didn’t talk to him about it. Dad isn’t easy to talk to.”

“You are.”

She felt her cheeks go warm. “Really?”

“I’d tell you about myself if I knew who I was.”

“The way I’m blabbing? Somehow, I doubt that.”

“You’re not blabbing. I asked you about your family and you’re answering my questions.”

In way too much detail , she thought. But it felt good to get some of it off her chest. “The American dream was lost on my family.”

“How common is that, really? How many people get to live that kind of life?”

“I don’t know. But someday I want to create a family of my own, one that will be bonded and true to each other.”

“Husband, kids, picket fence?”

She nodded. “I want a man who shares my love of the country. I feel blessed that I inherited part of this ranch. It’s everything to me now, and I want it to be everything to my future husband.”

“That stands to reason.” He paused. “So, what was your grandfather like?”

“He went by the name of Tex. He was an ornery old guy, but charming, too. I regret not having the opportunity to know him better, but I’m grateful that he welcomed me into his life when he did.” She thought about everything that had transpired recently. “Doc was his private physician. That’s how he and Tammy met.”