Actually, his older brother had suffered under the good-hearted critiquing of the town’s elders. But Zach was prepared for it. He knew what he’d done—and he was prepared to pay the price.
He would take his critiquing in stride, because every time the elders tried to point out the error of his ways, he’d just think about Jessie’s partially nude body and smile like Molly-Jimbo with a new bone.
“OH, MY,” Pansy Trifle said when Zach walked through the heavy glass-and-wood doors of the Tulips Saloon.
Helen Granger stood, her hands on her hips. “This is Ladies Only Day, Zach.”
“I know,” he said, with a most regretful tone, to the room at large, “so I’ve brought you a lady.” He tipped his hat to all of them, and gave Jessie a gentle push. “Take good care of my friend from Saks Fifth Avenue.”
He left, a broad grin on his face. Very soon he would be in big trouble with the elders of the town, and he was going to enjoy being the cause of all the uproar.
In the meantime, he had a T-bird to “hide,” just in case Ms. Saks decided to take a fast hike, à la Duke’s wife, the cagey Ms. Liberty Wentworth.
History would not be repeating itself.
Chapter Three
Helen and Pansy stared at the newcomer with surprise, sympathy and curiosity. Nervously, Jessie said, “I’m not really from Saks.”
The ladies in the room laughed.
“Sit down here,” Ms. Pansy said, patting an antique chair. “Zach must want us to get to know you better or he wouldn’t have brought you here.”
“Which makes him even nuttier than we’d previously surmised,” Helen said. “I’ll get you a cup of tea while Pansy introduces you to everyone. Then we’ll be more than happy to advise you on whatever problem that Forrester male is giving you.”
Following some brief introductions, Jessica told her story. “Well, you see,” Jessie said, after being introduced, “I hit his steer. Or maybe it was a bull. I’m not certain of the proper terminology.”
Pansy looked at her. “Not Brahma Bud?”
“I’m afraid so.”
“Oh, my,” Helen said. “I do hope Bud’s all right. Zach’s had him since he was a child. Won’t part with him.”
Jessie blinked. “I didn’t realize it was a pet.”
“Well,” Pansy said, “it was a gift from his parents. So it’s a link with the past, you might say.”
“I might have been a bit callous,” Jessie said. “I might have called Bud a hunk of steak or something. I don’t remember. I was very angry.”
“Why were you angry, dear?” Pansy asked gently.
“I was in a hurry to get somewhere,” Jessie said, “and the bull—do you call it a bull or a steer?”
“Not important,” Helen said, dropping a lump of sugar into her teacup. “Continue, please.”
Jessie sighed, realizing they didn’t want to have to explain something to her that was plainly obvious to everyone in the room. “There are places I need to be. Bud stopped me. He wouldn’t move. I thought maybe he was hurt or in shock, but I really barely tapped him. In fact, he did more damage to my car than I realized, because Zach said my car was leaking.”
“Hmm.” Pansy put some cookies on a plate for her. “We’re so glad you’ve come to Tulips, dear.”
“But we understand you want to be on your way.” Helen smiled around at all the ladies in the gathering. “Are you staying with Pepper and Zach?”
“I don’t want to,” Jessie said. “Is there a hotel in town?”
“We’ll have one in the future, I feel certain,” Helen said. “Or at least a bed-and-breakfast.”
Jessie shook her head. “My family isn’t used to me being anything other than right on schedule.”
They perked up. “Do tell us about your family,” Pansy said.
“Well, my mother and father own a cosmetics company called Jessie’s Girl Stuff. I have two brothers. They’re lawyers,” Jessie said.
“Lawyers,” Pansy said, glancing at Helen.
Helen smiled at her. “Did you call them, dear?”
“I let them know where I was. And I told them I’d be on time for the convention in two days.” Jessie took a deep breath. “Zach says I can’t leave, though.”
“Until your car is fixed,” Helen said.
“Until…” Jessie paused, not about to admit her plight.
“Oh, my,” Pansy said, “I do believe our Zach is developing feelings for you, Jessie.”
Jessie’s eyes went wide. “Just the opposite. He’s quite pigheaded.”
“Aren’t they all?” Helen said with a smile. “Do you like him?”
“No,” Jessie said. “Bossy men are not my thing.”
“We completely understand.” Pansy nodded. “So what we want you to do is call this number.” She scribbled a number onto a tulip-printed pad and handed it to Jessie. “We have a few men in our town, very few, mind you, but the ones we have are mostly useless. I mean, useful.”
“Yes,” Helen agreed. “Ask to speak to Bug Carmine. He’ll be more than happy to taxi you wherever you want to go. Where is this convention of yours, dear?”
“California,” Jessie said. “Do you think it will take that long to fix my car?”
“You could call roadside assistance,” Pansy said. “They’d probably be out here lickity-split and fix you right up.”
Jessie straightened. Of course they would! “You ladies are marvelous! I never thought about that! I don’t know why I didn’t, except that I never hit a bull before—”
“And Zach swept you off your feet,” Helen inserted.
“Yes, and that’s never happened before, either. I mean, how many people hit a poor sweet animal like Brahma Bud…But roadside assistance is the perfect answer! Shame on Zach for saying you all had issues,” Jessie said. “You’re clearly as smart and capable as anyone I’ve ever met.”
Helen sniffed, reaching for a cookie off the tray Pansy had set down. “Zach said we had issues?”
“Oh, yes,” Jessie said, nodding. “He said I didn’t even know the meaning of the word until I’d met ‘the Gang.’”
“Well.” Pansy smiled brightly. “Helen, dear, why don’t you hand sweet Jessie the phone so she can make her call? I’ll telephone Sheriff Duke while you’re doing that, and let him know his baby brother needs his brotherly supervision.”
Helen grinned and gave Jessie the old-fashioned, floral-painted phone.
“And if they can’t fix your car today,” Pansy said, “you’re welcome to stay at my house for as long as you like.” She and Helen shared a secretive and satisfied glance as Jessie dialed.
FAR FROM BEING SUPPORTIVE and helpful, Zach learned that the Gang wasn’t going to be as conniving about him and Jessie as they’d been about Liberty and Duke. Much to his chagrin, they’d ratted him out to his brother about Jessie’s presence at the ranch, earning him a lecture on propriety and a babysitter in the form of Pepper.
Pepper was the soul of responsibility. A hardworking student and now a much-lauded doctor, she was well respected