When Kaeden had ended their relationship before it even really began, Felecia had been disappointed, but she never harbored any ill will for the man because of his honesty. In fact, it made her like and appreciate him more. When she was flipping through the newspaper and happened upon his ad in The Post & Courier for a secretary, she took it as a sign from the Lord that Kaeden was the man for her after all. She wasn’t looking for a job; she was paid a nice salary serving as the secretary for her father’s church in Charleston.
Felecia hopped up from the bed to her feet. She was a woman on a definite mission. Her life’s plan had been mapped out since she was in high school. Stay out of trouble. Get good grades. Graduate from a good college.
So far so good.
The only two things left were to get married and then have some babies.
Felecia released a heavy breath and slowly walked to her closet. She focused her eyes on the ebony chest sitting pushed back against the wall. She stooped down to slowly open it. Inside lay stacks of bridal magazines, fabric swatches, sample invitations, and party favors. Every detail of her wedding was planned to the littlest detail—even her dream rings. The entire bridal works.
The only thing the future bride needed was a willing groom.
“Mrs. Felecia Strong,” Felecia said aloud, completely loving the sound of it.
Chapter 4
The sky was still inky black in the wee hours of the morning as Jade drove one of the Wild-n-Out passenger vans up to the front of the Strong ranch. She was pleased to see her group was up, ready and on the front porch awaiting her arrival. That was definitely a good sign.
“Thank God,” she said, parking the black van next to a row of ATVs.
The last camping expedition she’d led started off rocky when several of the group members arrived two hours late. Those same people turned out to be loafers who made the entire experience hella bad for Jade and the other group members who truly wanted to glean something from the trip. They mistook her role in the trip as a servant. Bad mistake.
She was hoping these twenty-first-century chocolate cowboys would be less stressful than the businessmen from Columbia trying to be outdoorsmen. She was happy for the business, but sometimes people just had to know when to stay in their lane. Switching up could be hazardous.
“Humph.” Jade had never been so happy to see the last of people.
A full week of whining men who were afraid to get dirty had worked her last nerve, but she took it in stride with a smile.
She forced herself not to draw the comparison between those men and Kaeden Strong. His father and brothers all owned and operated farms. The man had to know something about the outdoors.
Jade hopped out of the driver’s seat of the van. “Mornin’, everyone,” she called over to the men and women on the porch as she walked to the rear of the van to open the doors for them to store their bags. Hopefully if they stuck to the checklist she gave them, everything should fit. The last thing she needed was unnecessary cargo to deal with.
The camping gear she supplied as part of the package was already secured to the rack on the top of the van. She had a full tank of gas. She’d already spoken to Darren, who was on his way to lead a hunting trip in Spartanburg. She had their waivers all signed. Every person was registered with the state park and alerted to their presence on their grounds—an extra level of security for a woman who at times led men on outdoor excursions. Jade was ready to rock and roll.
She shoved her hands into the back pockets of her snug denims as she smiled warmly at the loving embraces the men gave their wives, who were still dressed in their nightgowns and robes. Kaeden and Kaleb made their way over to her carrying their backpacks and sleeping bags.
“Ready to answer the call of the wild, fellas?” she asked them.
Kaleb whistled as he eyed her. “Yes, by God, I am,” he said with clear intent.
Jade fought not to roll her eyes. “Alrighty then, keep it moving, Casanova,” she told him with a smile and a firm slap of her hand against his shoulder.
“You know, in other…situations, you wouldn’t have to prompt me to move. Oh, I get the job done and well.”
Jade let her eyes roll, not even bothering to fight it. She turned to the one with the glasses. “Kaeden, right?”
“That’s me,” he said with a smile.
Jade was completely taken back by the dimples in his cheeks and the brightness of his straight teeth. He has a nice smile, she thought, shifting her eyes up to peer through those dorky glasses of his. The only thing she saw was twin reflections of the moon.
“Maybe we can set up that appointment now without all the drama,” she teased as he stepped forward in his jeans and long-sleeved black T-shirt to set his bags in the van.
Kaeden pushed his glasses up as he smiled down at her. “I’m sorry about that.”
Jade reached out and touched his hand lightly and quickly. “Oh, no, no, it’s okay. Your wife was just marking her territory.”
“She’s not my wife or my girl,” Kaeden said so quickly that his words ran together.
“Really? You two look cute together.” Jade turned her attention to the other Strong men walking up to the van.
“Are we crazy?” Bianca asked as she stood alongside her mother-in-law and sister-in-law on the porch in their nightgowns and robes.
The three women all eyed Jade as she chatted with their husbands. Someone would have to be blind to not see how beautiful and sexy the woman was—even in jeans, boots, and a long-sleeved fitted tee. On top of it everyone in Holtsville knew she really was a nice and friendly person who was always quick to smile.
“Ella hace que la mayoría de las mujeres parecen hombres,” Garcelle said.
Lisha and Bianca both whipped their heads around to look at her with confusion clearly shown on their faces. “Huh?” they both asked.
“I said she makes most women look like men,” Garcelle said.
“Ladies, listen, I am not married to nor did I raise whoremongers,” Lisha told them. “We have good men and we’re in trusting marriages. Right?”
“Right,” Bianca said.
“Sí,” Garcelle joined in.
The men waved before climbing into the van through the sliding side door. Jade closed that door behind them and then walked around the van to slam the rear door closed.
“Don’t worry, ladies, they’re in good hands,” Jade called over to them. “Bye.”
All three ladies fixed stiff smiles to their pretty faces as they waved back at her. “Bye,” they said in a singsong fashion that was as fake as their smiles.
Two hours later the sun had finally begin to rise, turning the sky from inky black to a deep shade of lavender with streaks of gold. It truly was a beautiful sight, but Kaeden was too busy fuming from his seat at the rear of the van to notice any of it.
Kaeden truly felt like he could strangle his brother Kaleb. Not enough to kill him, but just enough so that it hurt his little brother to talk.
Kaeden frowned deeply as he pierced the back of his brother’s prematurely gray-haired head with his eyes. He was up front in the passenger seat sitting next to Jade.
Kaeden was hoping to use the trip as his chance to get to know Jade better and to look for cues that Jade would want to know him better. If Kaleb would shut his big mouth.
He gritted his teeth as Jade laughed at something Kaleb said. He opened his Jordan Banks mystery book but he found it hard to focus on the words. Jade’s earlier words to him echoed as if she had yelled them into the Grand Canyon.