Jesse: A Beckett Brothers Novel Book 3 (The Beckett Brothers) Read online

  Jesse

  The Beckett Brothers

  Book Three

  Susan Fisher-Davis

  Erotic Romance

  Jesse, The Beckett Brothers Book Three

  Copyright © 2019 Susan Fisher-Davis

  First E-book Publication: December 2019

  Cover Photo: iStockphoto.com by Tony Marturano

  Cover design by Amy Valentini

  All cover art copyright © 2019 by Susan Davis

  ALL RIGHTS RESERVED: This literary work may not be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means, including electronic or photographic reproduction, in whole or in part, without express written permission.

  All characters and events in this book are fictitious. Any resemblance to actual persons living or dead is strictly coincidental.

  PUBLISHER: Blue Whiskey Publishing

  Susan Davis

  www.susanfisherdavisauthor.com

  ABOUT THE E-BOOK YOU HAVE PURCHASED: Your non-refundable purchase of this e-book allows you to only ONE LEGAL copy for your own personal reading on your own personal computer or device. You do not have resell or distribution rights without the prior written permission of both the publisher and the copyright owner of this book. This book cannot be copied in any format, sold, or otherwise transferred from your computer to another through upload to a file sharing peer to peer program, for free or for a fee, or as a prize in any contest. Such action is illegal and in violation of the U.S. Copyright Law. Distribution of this e-book, in whole or in part, online, offline, in print or in any way or any other method currently known or yet to be invented, is forbidden. If you do not want this book anymore, you must delete it from your computer.

  WARNING: The unauthorized reproduction or distribution of this copyrighted work is illegal. Criminal copyright infringement, including infringement without monetary gain, is investigated by the FBI and is punishable by up to 5 years in federal prison and a fine of $250,000.

  Dedication

  To my wonderful editor, cover artist and most of all, my friend, Amy Valentini. Without you, this would not be possible. You are the best! Love you!

  To my awesome betas, Renee, Rhonda, Stacy, Ginny, Dedee, and Toby - Your opinions mean so much to me, and I appreciate your input. I love you all.

  To my readers, you know that without you, I wouldn’t be doing this. I appreciate your support.

  Chapter One

  After driving his truck onto the driveway leading to the Circle T Ranch, Jesse ‘JD’ Beckett pulled up to the barn and parked. After shifting the gear into Park, he turned the key and shut off the engine then looked around. Not seeing anyone, he threw the door open and stepped out. He blew out a breath. It was damn hot out today. Sweat beaded on his forehead and the nape of his neck before he even took two steps. He was tempted to climb back into his truck and turn the A/C on high.

  “Hey there,” a male voice shouted from behind him.

  Jesse spun around, surprised to see an old weathered cowboy walking toward him, and smiled. He walked to meet him with his hand outstretched. Think fast!

  “Hello, sir. I’m looking for work.” Jesse shook the man’s hand.

  “Are ya now?” the man asked then spit a stream of tobacco juice toward Jesse’s boots.

  Jumping back, he narrowed his eyes at the man. “Yes, sir.”

  “I’ll have to let ya talk to the boss about that.”

  “You’re not the boss?”

  The old man laughed. “Nope, I’m the manager, but the owner is who you need to talk to about a job. Let me call her.”

  Jesse removed his black cowboy hat and combed his fingers through his thick hair. The ends were damp from the sweat on the back of his neck. Shit, it was hot, and this old coot acted like it didn’t bother him in the least. Of course, his skin was so weathered that he probably didn’t even notice the heat. Jesse listened as the man talked on his cell phone then put it in his pocket and turned to face him.

  “She’ll be here in a minute. Let’s go in the barn to get out of this heat,” the man said.

  Jesse followed him and entered the red barn. The temperature wasn’t much cooler, but at least he was out of the sun. Taking a deep breath, he smiled when the scent of leather, hay, horses, and manure hit his nose. The only smell better than that was a woman, and it had been so long since he’d been close to one he might have already forgotten just how good they smelled.

  Glancing around at the occupied barn, the thought that no one was supposed to be on the property puzzled him. As he looked toward the house, he noticed rocking chairs sitting on the wraparound porch and curtains hanging at the windows. Someone was living here.

  “I’m Rusty Dawson, by the way. What’s your name, boy?”

  “J—Jesse…Dalton, sir. Nice to meet you.” Jesse glanced around. “Looks like a nice operation here.” You’re just digging the hole deeper, Beckett!

  Rusty shook his head. “It used to be but since Mr. Tipton passed away, the place kind of went downhill. Mrs. Tipton had to use most of their money for hospital bills. Now she has this cockamamie idea of turning the place into a dude ranch.” He spit tobacco juice again. “Do I know you? You look familiar.”

  “No, sir. I don’t think so.” Jesse glanced away from him.

  “Quit gossiping, old man.”

  Jesse turned around to see where the soft, beautiful voice came from. All he saw was a silhouette of a woman entering the barn and walking toward him. She was tall with a slim build, and he could see her ponytail swinging behind her as she walked their way. For some reason, his groin tightened and suddenly, he was anxious to see her up close. He looked at Rusty when he chuckled.

  “You know you wouldn’t tell the boy anything, Annie, so why can’t I?”

  Jesse looked back to see her shaking her head. When she stopped in front of him, he couldn’t catch his breath. She was exquisite. The top of her head came to his chin, which put her around five-seven since he stood six five. She turned beautiful, jade green eyes on him. Her nose was pert with freckles across the bridge, and her skin was flawless. Her blonde hair looked so soft that he wanted to wrap his hands in it. Smiling up at him, she put her hand out toward him.

  “Hello. I’m Anna Tipton. What can I do for you?”

  What could she do for him? She had no idea of the things he could think of for her to do.

  Jesse wrapped his hand around hers and felt a jolt. She did too, by the look on her face and by how quickly she pulled her hand away.

  “It’s nice to meet you. I’m Jesse Dalton. Are you hiring for the summer?”

  “Do you have any experience working a ranch?”

  “Yes, ma’am. My parents own a ranch.”

  Her head tilted and her eyes narrowed slightly. “Then why aren’t you working there?”

  Jesse shrugged. “I don’t want to be under their thumb.” God will strike you dead, Jesse Dalton Beckett!

  “I see,” she murmured then turned to Rusty. “Wes needs some help.”

  Rusty nodded. “I’ll get right to it.” He looked at Jesse. “Good luck, boy.”

  Jesse flattened his lips and shook his head as he watched him stride out of the barn. Then he faced Anna when she chuckled.

  “Don’t let it bother you. He calls all men, boys, and women, girls.”

  “Yes, ma’am. I suppose if you hire me, I’ll get used to it but I’m hardly a boy.”

  Anna smiled at him. “To him you are. He’s probably old enough to be your grandfather, so don’t let it bother you.” She spun on her heel. “Follow me. We’ll go into the house and talk. Would you like some wate
r? Lemonade, perhaps?”

  “Either one sounds good. Thank you,” Jesse said and followed her trying like hell to keep his eyes off her ass in those jeans.

  They walked out into the sunshine, and he squinted against the glare and looked around again. Dust kicked up under their boots as they walked across the dirt yard. He followed her up the steps of the old farmhouse and smiled when he saw the gingerbread trim, which was a favorite of his mother’s. When Anna opened the door, he entered the kitchen and sighed as the air conditioning hit his hot skin. Taking his hat off, he raked his fingers through his hair and held the hat in front of him. The kitchen boasted white cabinets with black hardware, and the countertops were blue and surrounded white appliances. Large blue and white floor tiles matched the color scheme. An oval cherry table sat centered on a braided rug.

  “Have a seat,” she said over her shoulder as she took two glasses down from the cupboard then yanked open the door to the freezer and filled them with ice. She retrieved a pitcher of lemonade from the fridge and poured the liquid into the glasses then turned to face him.

  Jesse glanced around and found a peg by the door to hang his hat then stood beside the table, waiting for her to sit before he did. His mama had raised him right, and if she had even an inkling of him sitting down before a woman did, he’d get a good tongue lashing. He was surprised to see that Anna was older than he’d first thought. Mid to late thirties, was his guess, but she was still beautiful. He nodded his head for her to sit. When she smiled at him, his dick wanted to salute. It had been too long since he’d been with a woman. The more he looked at her, the more he thought she resembled the country singer, Jennifer Nettles.

  Anna pulled a chair out and took a seat, then Jesse did and reached for the lemonade. Lifting the glass to his lips, he took a long drink to quench his dry throat. She smiled at him then stood to get the pitcher. When he moved to stand, she waved him back down. Refilling his glass, she resumed her seat.

  “So, you want to work here?” she asked.

  “Yes, ma’am. As I said, I know how to work a ranch—” He stopped talking when she shook her head.

  “I’m sorry, but I really don’t need ranch hands. I do need someone to perform maintenance on the ten cabins on the property. I asked you about working a ranch because if you’re strong enough to do that type of work, I’m sure you could handle handyman work. My husband passed away almost two years ago and as Rusty told you, I used a lot of our money for hospital bills. The insurance we had didn’t cover half of the bills.”

  Jesse watched as she ran her fingertip over the rim of her glass of lemonade.

  “I’m sorry about your husband.”

  Anna waved her hand. “Thank you. He’d been sick a long time. Anyway, I want to rent out the cabins in the summer months.” She shrugged. “Have trail rides, bonfires, things like that. I’ll hire more people when I make enough money. Rusty thinks it’s a bad idea.”

  “Rusty seems set in his ways,” Jesse said, smiling.

  “That he is.” She laughed, and his gut clenched at the sound.

  Clearing his throat, he stared at her. “I can do handy work too. I used to work with a house builder after I graduated from high school.” That at least, was true. Until he got into bull riding.

  “I can’t pay much, though. As I said, I don’t have a lot of money right now.” She nibbled on her bottom lip, and it took all his willpower not to groan.

  “I don’t need much,” he said.

  Anna laughed. “That’s good because it wouldn’t be much.”

  “Whatever you can pay me is fine. I’m really just looking for something to do this summer. I’ll work for food.” Damn, Jesse. Your mother would be ashamed of the lies coming out of your mouth!

  “I can’t let you do that, but you can stay in one of the cabins if you’d like.”

  “Sure. Can you show them to me?” Stay in a cabin when he had a ranch ten miles away…

  Her eyes met his and held then she quickly glanced away.

  “Of course. We can talk on the way.”

  Jesse pushed his chair back and stood when she did then he walked to the sink, drank what was left of his lemonade down, and set the glass in the sink. She moved to stand beside him at the sink and rinsed her glass. He could smell her light perfume, and he wanted to bury his face in her neck. Shit! He quickly moved away from her to get his hat.

  “How old are you?” she asked, tilting her head.

  “Twenty-nine, ma’am.” He removed his hat from the peg and held it.

  “Please call me Annie or Anna. Ma’am makes me feel old, and even though I have eleven years on you, I’d rather not feel older.”

  “Yes, ma’am,” Jesse chuckled. “Sorry…Anna.”

  ****

  Twenty-nine? Dear Lord! You cannot be attracted to a man his age. Anna cleared her throat.

  “Much better, thanks. If you’re ready, I’ll show you the cabins.” She smiled.

  “Sure. Are we walking?”

  “No, they’re a little way up in the north pasture. We can take my truck.”

  “All right,” Jesse smiled at her, and she could feel the heat in her cheeks. Damn fair skin!

  Taking her straw cowboy hat off the peg, she slapped it on her head and nodded for him to proceed her out the door. He shook his head and jerked his chin for her to go first. Smiling, she walked out in front of him and down the steps. She heard the door close behind her, then his boots on the steps as he followed her to her truck. They both climbed in, and Anna started the Silverado and drove out through the pasture. From the corner of her eye, she saw him put his cowboy hat back on. He was one sexy cowboy. Stop!

  She could smell his aftershave mixed with sweat, and it was making her wiggle in her seat. Damn, he was so gorgeous. His dark brown hair looked so thick and soft, and his eyes were an amazing ice blue in color. Shadowy stubble covered his lower face, chiseled jaw, and onto his neck. He could pass for being in his early thirties, but he was still too young for her. She’d never been interested in a younger man. Until now anyway, and since she hadn’t had sex in over two years, she was horny as hell. The more she thought about how sexy he was she began to think he reminded her of someone. But since she’d never heard his name before, she couldn’t imagine who it would be.

  “So, why are there cabins on the property? Did you have them built?”

  “No. They were here when we bought the ranch. We were going to tear them down but never got around to it.”

  “You know, you could rent them out in the fall and winter too. For hunters, and anglers. I’m sure there’s fishing all year,” Jesse said.

  Anna slammed on the brakes and watched as Jesse braced his hand against the dash. He looked over to her with a raised eyebrow.

  “Oh, my God. I never thought of that. I’d have income all year long then.”

  “Probably a good bit of it. All you have to do is look it up or call Montana Fish and Wildlife.”

  “I wonder what the seasons are. Jamie didn’t hunt or fish, so I have no clue,” she murmured.

  “I don’t know since I don’t hunt or fish either, but it wouldn’t be hard to find out. You won’t have the cabins ready for the rest of this summer, but you might have them ready for hunting and fishing seasons.”

  “What a fantastic idea, Jesse. I could kiss you for that,” she said then blushed to the roots of her hair when she saw him look at her.

  Probably thinking he’d never kiss a woman her age. Stupid!

  Jesse grinned. “Well, we can certainly talk about that.”

  When she quickly glanced at him, he winked.

  Anna laughed. “Sure.”

  His chuckle made her shiver. The man was just too good looking for her peace of mind. It had been far too long since she’d been held, kissed, or made love to and Jesse Dalton was making her really miss all those things. But the age difference was a big obstacle. She knew other women who would go for it in a heartbeat, but she wasn’t one of them. Dear Lord, the thought of gett
ing naked in front of him frightened the hell out of her. She was sure he’d been with a lot of women. Just look at him for heaven’s sake, and they were probably all young and had firm toned bodies. She had a toned body, but she had muscles from working the ranch. Not that she looked like a bodybuilder, but she wasn’t soft. She just didn’t have the body of a woman in her twenties anymore.

  Oh, good heavens, Anna just stop. He’s not interested anyway. He could be gay for all you know.

  “Are you gay?” she asked without even thinking.

  “What? You think I’m gay? Why?” He turned to look at her while the truck bumped along the road.

  “No! I’m sorry, I shouldn’t have asked. It slipped out…” Biting her lip, she mentally told herself to shut the fuck up. She glanced over toward him, then back to the road. “I really have no idea why I even asked. I mean, if you are, that’s fine. There’s nothing wrong with that. I, uh…”

  “I am not gay. I love women. Holy hell. Is that part of the interview process?”

  Anna laughed. “No. I’m so sorry. It just slipped out. You’re just so good looking and—”

  “So that makes me gay? Damn,” he muttered, making her laugh harder.

  Shaking her head, she decided it was best to keep her mouth shut. She pulled the truck up to the first of ten cabins.

  “Here we are,” she said as she glanced over at him.

  He was staring out the windshield at the cabins then he opened the door and stepped out. Anna sat in the truck and watched him through the windshield as he walked toward the front of the vehicle and stopped by the fender where he leaned against it. He folded his arms across his chest and gazed around. Taking a deep breath, she opened her door, stepped out, and walked to the front of the truck.

  “What are you thinking?” she asked.

  “How beautiful it is here. This could be a goldmine for you. Can we look in the cabins?”

  “Of course, they’re not locked.”

  Jesse nodded then walked to the first cabin, climbed up the steps and opened the door. He disappeared inside while she stood beside the truck. Blowing out a breath, she walked up the steps then entered the cabin and immediately the musty smell assaulted her nose. Spider webs had taken up residence in the corners of the windows and dust motes floated in the sunbeams shining through. She tried to see the cabin through his eyes. The small living room had a stone fireplace and a bar separated the room from the kitchen which had a stove, refrigerator, and microwave. A small hallway led to two bedrooms separated by a bathroom. A closet in the hall contained a stackable washer and dryer. The cabins were small but comfortable enough for a week’s stay. A large window air conditioner would keep it cool in the summer. A drawback might be that the only heat source was the fireplace. The floors were dark oak planks with some water damage from the leaking roof. The walls were log. Anna watched as he walked around the cabin then stopped and looked at her.