The Cowboy's Twins. Deb Kastner

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СКАЧАТЬ he was no wayward child. Far from it. If she had to guess, she’d put him a few years older than her own twenty-seven years. Thirty-ish. She judged him to be over two hundred pounds of raw muscle and a good six feet four inches tall, cartoonishly huge next to Jo’s five-feet-nothing. He dwarfed the friendly redhead.

      Unlike the guy who’d come before him, he hadn’t even needed to flex for her—er—for the crowd to appreciate the strength of his broad shoulders and powerful biceps. Now in closer proximity, she inhaled the smell of him—all leather and raw man. Just the way he looked. The crazy thing was, that heady scent wasn’t unpleasant. Quite the opposite, in fact.

      If it weren’t for the scar on his face, she’d have thought he’d walked right out of an advertisement for aftershave or something else meant to be rugged and manly. Though honestly, the ragged, puckered scar that slashed across the man’s temple didn’t bother her as much as the fact that he appeared to be glowering. Not at her, thankfully, but at a couple of sturdy cowboys standing together near the other side of the stage. The guy who’d been bid on first was there, his arm curved familiarly around his wife’s waist. The other fellow, a big bear of a man whom Faith immediately dubbed Grizzly Adams, was grinning as if he’d triumphed in a race.

      Jax’s brothers, were Faith to guess. The family resemblance was striking in their similar strong features—the dark wavy hair and chiseled jaws.

      Alexis gave Faith’s shoulder an encouraging pat and turned back to the auction, where the next bachelor had broken into an impromptu round of “Home on the Range,” presumably to impress the ladies with his vocal capabilities. Faith thought perhaps the guy should have chosen another talent to display. Singing in tune didn’t appear to be part of his skill set. To Faith’s ears, he sounded a bit like a crowing rooster, but she supposed it was the thought that counted. For some inexplicable reason the crowd was encouraging the poor bachelor, which only made him bellow all the louder.

      She turned her attention to Jax. He was watching the guy on stage, but he didn’t appear to care one way or another about the assault on his ears. She observed him quietly, hoping to discern what he might be thinking by the look on his face. She could read nothing in his expression. It wasn’t empty so much as—hard. Frozen solid, like the frost in his eyes. His body language was equally as closed off, with his arms crossed over the bulk of his chest.

      “So,” she said, not at all certain how to start a conversation with him. “I brought a picnic basket full of goodies so we can share lunch together.” She knew she was rambling but didn’t seem to know how to stop. “I thought Jo’s idea was a clever twist to the event, allowing everyone to participate in one way or another. Men, women, singles and married alike. Don’t you think?”

      He didn’t respond, not even to acknowledge that she’d spoken to him. He hadn’t even bothered to turn his head in her direction.

      “Jax?” She touched his elbow to get his attention.

      He turned, his piercing, chocolate-brown eyes shifting to hers and widening in surprise, as if he’d forgotten she was there.

      Maybe he had.

      “I—er—” she stammered. “Did you want to stay and watch the rest of the auction?”

      Jax snorted. “Thank you, no. I am so done with this stupid event.”

      Faith smiled. “I thought you might be. I certainly wouldn’t want to have to put myself up for display on the auction block, but I appreciate your sacrifice for the sake of the senior center building fund.”

      “Oh, believe me, I felt like a sacrifice. The lamb-to-the-slaughter kind.” Jax grinned, his smile made slightly crooked by the tension created by his scar, which pulled the left side of his mouth higher than the right. It would have looked a bit like a grimace, except that his eyes were gleaming with amusement. “Thanks for rescuing me.”

      “My pleasure.” Her cheeks warmed. She couldn’t imagine why his words would make her blush. She swallowed and quickly recovered her composure. She pointed down the lawn. “I set my picnic basket under that oak tree over there. Are you hungry?”

      A laugh that sounded a little bit like a growl emerged from deep in his chest. “I’m always hungry.”

      Well, duh. She should have guessed that. Put fur on the guy and he could probably pass for Bigfoot. Of course he was hungry.

      “I hope I packed enough.”

      His right brow arched and the strained half grin returned.

      She was already blushing, but now heat rushed to her face and spread to her cheeks like a wildfire. Had she just said those words out loud?

      Open mouth, insert foot. Way to go, Faith. Insult the man ten seconds after meeting him.

      She quickly tried to recover, feeling as if she were scrambling backward as she stammered her way through her sentence. “Oh, n-no. That’s not what I intended to say. My words didn’t come out right at all. I—I only meant—”

      He held up one large work-calloused hand to stem the flow of her sputtering words. “It’s okay, ma’am. Whatever you’ve brought will be just fine, I’m sure. I’m not a difficult man to please.”

      “Please call me Faith,” she urged, brushing her suddenly sweaty palms against the denim of her designer skinny jeans.

      Acquiring new, more practical boot-cut jeans was on her priority list of things to do now that she was finally here in Serendipity. And as much as she loved her Jimmy Choos, her good pair of cowboy boots would have been much more sensible for the occasion. She was practically aerating the park grass with her three-inch spikes.

      “Faith,” he repeated, his rich, lyrical voice making her name sound like a musical note. “I’m Jax McKenna, and apparently I am at your service.”

      “It’s nice to officially meet you, Jax.” She held out her hand and he dwarfed it in his own. Again she had the impression of hard work and calluses, a complete contrast to her own lotion-softened, office-cubicle working hands.

      That will change. Soon.

      She’d spent the last few years working in accounting for a non-profit organization to save up the money for her horse sanctuary. Mere months from now she hoped and prayed that her palms would likewise carry the blisters of hard country labor. She could barely wait for that day, anticipating it like a child would Christmas morning. She was a city girl with a country heart.

      “Here we are,” she said, gesturing to a rather plain-looking brown wicker basket lingering next to the trunk of an oak, shaded from the glare of the sun by the old tree’s branches. As she looked around at the other baskets dotting the lawn, she couldn’t help but feel a little bit embarrassed. Her own meager offering looked so bare and ordinary next to the others. Many of the women had decorated their baskets with colorful plumes and ribbons. She wished she’d thought of that—especially because the man she’d be sharing a meal with looked as if he could use a few kindhearted gestures. But on the other hand, he didn’t seem like the sort of man who’d really be comfortable with something dolled up and fancy. Maybe plain was best, after all.

      Without speaking, Jax crouched over the basket, withdrawing a blue-checked plastic tablecloth that had been the best Faith could do under the circumstances. She’d arrived in Serendipity only two days ago and hadn’t learned of the auction until the day prior.

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