Page 82 of Nashville Cowboy
“I don’t, but if you do, that’s fine with me.”
He snorted. “Yeah. Okay, Eve.”
Well, shit, he didn’t sound like her believed her!
Since Jackson was helping with the brushing, Eve went for the hoof pick. “We didn’t make any promises to each other this time. Maybe that’s for the best.”
“I’m going to stay home longer,” Jackson said, meeting her eyes from across Thimble.
Her heart seemed to literally jump in her chest, which pissed her off to no end because this wasnotgood. “H-how much longer?”
“I don’t know. Indefinitely. Been writing more songs here, maybe because I’m more relaxed than I’ve been in years.”
She had noticed the stiffness in his shoulders was gone. “Well, okay. It’s fine with me if you do stay longer.”
“Eve, cut the crap.” He dropped the brush and moved beside her.
“What?” She dropped Thimble’s leg. “I’m trying to make this easier for you.”
He pulled her to him. “I’m trying to fight for you, for us, but you need to let me.”
The tingle that radiated through her body when he said those words was exactly the wrong thing to feel. It shouldn’t matter, but her body wasn’t listening.
“Why is she here, Jackson? What was so important?”
His brow furrowed. “She seems to think I’m making a mistake falling in love with you all over again.”
“Did shetellyou that? She doesn’t even know me!”
“She’s heard about you. You’re all I talked about for a while. And I’m sorry to say, no one who heard my end of the story took your side. But there are always two sides, aren’t there?”
She remembered how hard life had been for her during that time, but she’d had Sadie, and her mother, and a handful of true friends who understood. Then she’d had the benefit of starting over in a new town where no one had to know or hear about her sad love story. The jilted groom. The runaway bride. But the people closest to her had heard all about Jackson. Her roommate, and Bobby.
She threaded her hands around his neck and rose on tiptoes. “Where did you take her? The airport?”
“I took her to Kerrville. She asked to meet with me tomorrow.”
“Where?” Her stomach dropped. “In herhotelroom?”
“I said I’d meet in the hotel restaurant. I’m sure she wants to talk about some kind of musical partnership. I feel like I owe it to her to listen, because I do feel bad for her. She did help my career once, maybe I could help her now somehow. Not sure how, but it’s hard to watch someone so talented waste away with boozing. I came too close to that myself.”
Eve swallowed hard at the guilt by association. It wasn’t her fault he’d chosen to drink but she still felt responsible. “Guess I’m bein’ selfish. You’re right. If you can help her, you ought to. She did seem kind of desperate.”
“Jumping into my arms and calling me her husband when we were married for three months five years ago? Yeah, I’d say so.”
“Well, I know what it’s like to feel desperate.”
He pressed his forehead to hers. “Not like that, you don’t. You’ve always had a lot of self-respect. I can’t tell you how rare that is in show business.”
Eve took a deep breath and buried her face in Jackson’s warm neck. She’d told herself she would trust.
And he hadn’t done anything to make her doubt him.
Chapter 27
The next morning while she cooked breakfast for the cowboys, Mima read Eve the riot act. “Have you taken leave of your senses, child? You’re letting that she-devil get close to your man.”
“Jackson wants to hear her out and maybe he can help her. I remember that not long ago someone very dear helped me.” Eve looked at Mima significantly. “Don’t you want me to do what the good book says, too? I’m helpin’ my neighbor.”
