Jesse: Merry Christmas, Cowboy. Lynnette Kent

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СКАЧАТЬ grabbed her hand. “I think they’re asking us to vamoose,” he said, getting to his feet. “Let’s hope we don’t trip and fall on the way out.”

      The theater doors were still open, however, giving them plenty of light to negotiate from the first row, where they’d been seated, up the aisle and back into the main area of the resort.

      In every direction, opportunities for gambling presented themselves—slot machines, card tables, roulette wheels, dice games.

      “Want to take a chance?” Jesse stood at her elbow, watching as she looked around.

      But Janie wasn’t interested. “I don’t have enough faith in my own luck to risk my money like that. Besides…” she drew a deep breath, letting her eyes close for a second “…I just want to replay the music in my head.”

      The concert had been wonderful, a heartfelt performance by a megastar who also showed himself to be a warm and funny man.

      But then, she’d been prepared to enjoy almost any kind of entertainment after sharing a dinner with Jesse Cody. She still couldn’t quite believe the reality—she and Jesse, alone together, eating and talking about what ever came to mind. She’d filled him in on the restroom decor—fabulous—and he’d quizzed her about her pre-vet studies. Together they’d critiqued the movies scheduled to come out during the holiday season. Not once had they sat in silence, searching for something to say.

      And she’d made him laugh—how about that for an achievement? She’d always thought Jesse never took enough time to laugh.

      Now here they were, in a taxi again, and he was still holding her hand. His big fingers wrapped around hers, warm and secure like her favorite blanket back at home. If she moved her knee about two inches, she could touch his.

      But Janie chose not to move. She’d already thrown her self at him once tonight, and she couldn’t remember the moment without her face turning red. But she couldn’t forget, either, the feel of his arms around her, the wall of his chest against her breasts, the aroma of his aftershave. Through all the excitement about the concert, she’d inhaled that scent as if her body needed it to survive.

      When their cab pulled up at their hotel, Jesse’s hand slipped away from hers, reaching for his wallet. She waited and let him open her car door, then gave him her hand for help getting out. Hopefully, he’d keep it again on the elevator ride up.

      Instead, he released her as soon as they entered the hotel lobby. Janie looked down at the floor to hide the disappointment in her face, so she didn’t immediately notice the man plowing through the crowd in their direction.

      Then her brother stopped directly in front of them. “Where the hell have you been?”

      Even without holding his hand, she sensed Jesse stiffen beside her. She took a step ahead of him, getting between the two men. “We went to dinner and a show. I left a message for you.”

      “Fat lot of good that does, when you don’t say where you’re going. And I couldn’t reach you on your cell phone.”

      “I didn’t know.” She took hold of Mark’s wrist. “What’s wrong? Is it Mom?”

      He ran his free hand through his hair. “She’s been hysterical for hours. When she woke up and you weren’t available, she wouldn’t eat, and the situation went downhill from there.”

      Janie headed toward the elevator at a fast walk. “Serena seemed to have everything under control…” She slammed the button with the heel of her hand. “She could have given Mom a sedative. I left the directions.” Another punch at the up button produced no immediate result.

      Mark pressed the button in his turn. “It’s hard to give a sobbing, unrestrained woman a pill.”

      The doors slid open, finally, to reveal a compartment packed with people, adults overlapping at the shoulders and children fitted into the spaces below waist level. The process of emptying seemed endless.

      A crowd of equal size followed Janie into the elevator. Pressed against the back wall between Jesse and Mark, she couldn’t continue their discussion with so many listeners.

      The last person didn’t get off until the thirty-ninth floor.

      When the panels parted on forty, Janie started running. The closed door to the suite brought her up short. She waited on tiptoe for Serena to answer her knock.

      Just as she heard the lock release, big hands gripped her shoulders and forced her to turn around.

      Behind her in the doorway, Serena said, “Miss Janie?” Inside the room, Abby moaned and sobbed.

      Standing in front of her, Jesse shook his head. “You can’t go in there, Janie. Not right now.”

      Mark came up beside them, pulled back his arm and knocked Jesse sideways with a punch to the shoulder.

      “Mind your own business, Cody,” he growled. “And get your hands off my sister.”

      Chapter Four

      Jesse bounced off the wall and came back with his own punch ready.

      Janie stepped in front of him. “Don’t you dare.”

      He stopped, stared at her for a moment, then shook his head like a dog shaking off water. His hand fell to his side.

      “You’re right. Sorry.” He flashed a furious glance over her shoulder to Mark. “I only meant that you should take the time to calm down and pull yourself together, be fore you went in to see your mom. But…” He looked around the circle of shocked faces—Nicki and Serena were watching, in addition to Janie and Mark. “But I didn’t mean to intrude. I’ll see you all tomorrow.”

      His boot heels thudded through the thick carpet as Jesse strode quickly down the hallway. The door to the Cody suite shut behind him with an impact just short of a slam.

      Taking a deep breath, Janie turned and stepped past Serena into her mother’s room. When Mark moved to follow, Janie stopped but didn’t face him. “You’ve thrown your weight around enough for one night. Just stay with Nicki. I’ll call you if we need you.”

      “What is your—”

      He didn’t get to finish because Serena closed the door in his face.

      Janie looked at the older woman over her shoulder. “I knew I liked you.” Then she peeled off her jacket, dropped it with her purse on the floor and went to sit beside her mother on the bed.

      “I’m here, Mom,” she crooned. “Shh, it’s okay. Everything’s fine.”

      Sure, Janie thought, remembering Jesse’s face. Everything’s just great.

      JESSE HAD SET UP SOME practice time for Wednesday morning, on a ranch owned by a friend of his about a hundred miles out of Vegas into Utah. After spending half the night lying awake, thinking about Janie before and after her brother’s intrusion, he sure as hell didn’t want to think anymore.

      So he set his music for a rowdy playlist—no love songs like the ones last night—and turned the volume high. All he wanted to do this morning was СКАЧАТЬ