A Wedding in Red Creek: Rori and Jackson (The Sons of Dusty Walker Book 9) (2 page)

Rori sat at the work table in the back of her store. Staring
out the windows facing Main Street, she watched the sun as it slid closer to
the horizon. Four o’clock already and Jackson hadn’t come to talk to her,
hadn’t even sent her a text about the rodeo idea.

The rows of tables between her and the windows facing Main
Street stood filled with a variety of computer systems ranging from a laptop
and printer for home use, to a server and work stations for a mid-sized
business. A few people had wandered in this afternoon, but they carried their
tablets or phones, looking for help with software issues.

She enjoyed helping them solve the problems, answering their
questions, and showing them a few tricks to keep their operating systems
working at optimal performance. It was almost like she was teaching them, and
for some reason, teaching felt like a next-step in her career. It was surely
something she’d wanted to do for a long time. Not full-time, of course. Just
some short-term work, maybe through her alma mater in Kansas City.

Rori re-opened the newsletter she’d received that morning
from the university and scrolled to the paragraph that had gotten her thinking
about teaching. They were planning a summer session of classes for
college-bound high school students. Only six weeks, and just four days a week.
She could commute easily between KC and Red Creek.

With a snort, she deleted the email. When would she have
time to teach? She ran two Cyber Wise locations, one here in Red Creek, and one
in Kansas City, staffed by her college friend Kiwi, now known as Morgan since
he’d given up his life as a hacker to go legit.

She sat back in her chair, looking around her. With the
money she was bringing in, she could easily afford to hire someone to manage
this location, too. That would give her free time to do something she’d always
wanted to do.

Rori found the email in the trash folder and forwarded it to
her mother with a quick question about the program. Mina taught at one of the high
schools in KC, but worked closely with the university, arranging college-level
classes for the students planning to attend post-secondary schools. Her mom
would know more about the curriculum.

There was no harm in asking, was there? If anything her mother
said interested Rori, she’d talk with Jackson about it. She wouldn’t bring it
up now, with the house construction nearly finished, a wedding in just weeks,
and his new rodeo arena probably taking up whatever room was left in his brain
right now.

The buzzer sounded, alerting her to the front door opening,
and she jumped, anxious energy making her heart skitter. Jackson walked in.

She closed her email software, a little ping of guilt
hitting her.

Jackson grinned like a man walking into a bar full of horny
women as he sauntered over to her, his long legged walk all loose and sexy.

The long-sleeved blue flannel shirt he’d worn had been a
Christmas gift from her mom and dad, and he wore it often, which pleased Rori
very, very much. He’d been letting his hair grow and the chestnut curls looked
so damn attractive on him, she almost wanted to talk him into keeping it long
and shaggy-hot for the wedding.

He reached her and bent close for a quick kiss. His inky
blue eyes turned a little darker. “Busy? It’s almost closing time. Wanna lock
up early and go upstairs?” He kissed her jaw, then nibbled on her earlobe.

A flush of warmth spread through her body, making her
eyelids droop with need. No. Her eyes popped open wide. She needed to talk to
him about the rodeo arena first. Pulling away gently, she smiled at him. “Sit
and talk a minute first.” Rori gestured to the chair next to her.

His brow rose and he looked into her eyes for a second as if
judging her mood. “Okay. Whatever you want, darlin’.”

Whenever he used that endearment for her, she nearly melted
into a juicy puddle of desire. Today, she had to fight back the urge. They
needed to talk.

He pulled the chair closer and sat, his knee pressed against
her thigh. “Everything okay?” His lips curved into a slight frown.

“I heard about the rodeo arena idea.” There, that didn’t
sound accusatory. What she’d wanted to say was,
Why did I have to hear about
it from Zoe? Why didn’t you tell me yourself?

“Yeah.” He grinned. “What do you think?”

“Uh…” He wasn’t the least bit cowed by the circumstances?
“Zoe told me—told all three of us at lunch.”

“I figured she would. Dylan said he texted her.” His brows
dropped. “Oh damn, I should have told you myself, right?” He tipped his head as
if he wasn’t too sure about that.

“It would have been nice. How long have you been
keeping…planning this?”

He took her hand and kissed her knuckles. “Just thought of
it last night, Rori. Honestly.” Looking into her eyes, he gave her that sorry
puppy-dog look he was so good at. “You were sound asleep when I got up this
morning, and I didn’t want to wake you, so I just decided to run it by the
brothers.”

With a deep breath, she let go of her uncertainties. He
wouldn’t intentionally keep secrets from her. She knew this, trusted him, loved
him more than anything. She’d let the whole sharing thing drop. Especially
since she’d just chosen to explore a teaching opportunity in KC without
mentioning it to him. “How did they react?”

His face lit with his smile. “They like it. A lot. It’ll be
a good thing for the whole town. It can be used for more than rodeo. We can
have concerts, stock shows.” He shrugged. “I haven’t even thought of all the
functions.” He leaned a little closer. “And they suggested we make you the
rodeo queen.”

That made her laugh and roll her eyes at the same time. “I
will pick out my tiara next time I’m in KC.”

With a kiss, he smoothed her hair. “Perfect, I can just see
you…” He stared off, his eyes opened wide for a few seconds, then he took a
fast inhale and gestured to the monitor in front of her. “Can you pull up a
town map on that thing? I’ll show you what I’m thinking.”

How could she resist that cowboy grin and boyish enthusiasm?
She found an aerial map and Jackson went over his ideas. She made some
suggestions, and he labeled each of them genius. She printed out the map and a
few other pieces of information. Jackson was a paper-kind of guy, liking to
have things in his hand rather than in some obscure electronic cloud.

It was after five when they finally turned the
Closed
sign on the front door and locked up, then carried the rodeo paperwork up the
steps to their apartment.

Their little table held the two projects that consumed their
life currently. On one side, the blueprints and magazines and paperwork for the
nearly-completed house they were building on lakefront acreage on Osprey Lake
sat piled a foot high. On the other side, wedding planning things were heaped
up, overflowing onto two of the chair seats, as well.

Jackson looked at the mounds. “We’re gonna need a bigger
table.”

Rori laughed and gestured to the coffee table in the little
living room area. The table currently held a couple gaming controllers. “Use
that for now. Pretty soon, we can get rid of the wedding stuff and pack away
the house things for the big move.”

They were planning to move everything to the new house
before the wedding, but not stay in the house until their wedding night. Rori
watched him set his paperwork down neatly, then sit and stare again at the map.

Jackson was a traditional guy. He wanted their first night as
a married couple to be their first night in their new home. She was okay with
that, as long as they were cozied up together here every night. And sometimes
during the day. And sometimes all day long on weekends. She giggled.

He glanced at her. “I know that look. What are you thinking,
bad girl? A little pre-marital sex, perhaps?” Standing, he unbuttoned the top
button of his shirt, his gaze locked with hers.

Rori’s belly clenched with a desire that seemed to grow
stronger every day. She bit her lip and backed up a step in the direction of
the bedroom. “No supper?”

He took a step forward. “We’ll call this our…appetizer.” He
flicked his tongue out, his lids lowering.

A shiver raced through her, imagining that talented tongue
on all the parts of her that would respond so well to being flicked. “And
dessert?” She backed up another few feet as she grabbed the hem of her Cyber
Wise T-shirt and tugged it off over her head.

“Ah, Rori, you’re my feast for the night.” He advanced on
her quickly, reaching for her, lifting her so her body pressed along his, her
feet dangling.

“Actually, skipping supper is probably a good idea, if I
want to fit into my wedding dress.” She blinked a few times, realizing she’d
probably broken the mood.

He just laughed. “You and your practical side.” He walked
them into the bedroom and set her on the bed. Kneeling in front of her, he
untied one of her high-tops. “But we will both have a sensible meal somewhere
in between the courses of this sexual buffet.”

He tugged off her shoe and striped stocking, then sucked her
middle toe into his mouth.

A burst of lust shook her and she flopped back onto the
mattress. “Jackson.” It came out barely a whisper. “You’re going to spoil me.”
She sighed as his tongue traced along the bottom of her foot.

“That’s my job, darlin’. My sworn duty as the future husband
of Mrs. Rori Walker.” His mouth found the inside of her ankle, and who could
have known that the tender skin right there would make her scream his name?

****

February 10th dawned cold and gray, keeping Jackson and Rori
in their warm bed longer than usual. He heard a rumbling noise, jumped out from
under the cozy blankets, and tugged on his red boxer briefs. Yanking open the
curtains, he looked down on Main Street Kansas at the four semi-trucks Jake-braking
through town.

They were heading along the road to his new house…
their
new house on Osprey Lake.

Behind him, still snuggled deep under the quilts, Rori let
out a long sigh. “What is it today?”

He turned, grinning at his woman. Only nineteen more days until
they could move into their new home. Right now, they lived like two fish in a
bowl, on display for the people of the town. Once their house was finished,
they’d have acres and acres of privacy. “Looks like the wood trim, interior
doors, bannisters, and cabinets.”

“Oooh.” Rori jumped out of bed, slid her arms into her pink
robe and wrapped it around her curvy body before joining him at the window. The
trucks bore the name of the best woodworking company in the region. “Yes!” She
hugged him, looking up at him with her beautiful blue eyes, her hair a sweet
mess. “The last step.”

Jackson had never seen anyone more sexy. He tugged her
tighter against him. “It’s getting close. By Valentine’s Day, the majority of
the work will be done, and we can give the go-ahead for furniture delivery.”

She rubbed her hips across his, causing blood to flow down
into a prominent area. “Then we can break in the fancy new bed we picked out?”
Rori liked to tease him, physically and mentally.

“No, bad girl.” He spanked her bottom and set her away from
him. “You know the rules.”

Rolling her eyes, she crossed her arms. “Yes, Jackson. It’s
our marriage bed. Gotta have that license all signed and witnessed before
you’ll give me any lovin’ in the new house.”

Jackson just nodded, staring at her as his body reacted to
her with evident need. “That doesn’t mean we can’t be lovin’ in the old bed.”

She narrowed her eyes, glancing at the rumpled bed. “Can we
move the old bed to the new house?” Her eyes sparkled when she looked back at
him.

“Stop teasing me. You know my thoughts on this.” He gave her
a dramatic pout as he turned his back to her, looking out the window as the
trucks rolled out of town.

Rori just laughed. “I know.” She hugged him from behind.
“But you take it so seriously, it’s hard not to poke fun.”

He did take it seriously, but he couldn’t help it. He’d been
running from home, avoiding settling down, since he was just a teenager. When
he’d found out his dad, Dusty Walker, had a wife here in Red Creek, fear of
following in those footsteps had kept him from making any commitments. Then,
when Dusty had died, and Jackson had learned that good ol’ dad had three other
sons around the country, things had gotten much worse, and his life had gone
spinning off like a dust devil.

Until Rori, and his love for her.

Now, he wanted it all. A wife, a house, a bunch of little
ones. But he wanted to do it right. In the right order, so he didn’t make any
mistakes. He had a manic fear about getting it wrong with this perfect woman.

The first time he’d mentioned it to her, Rori had thought he
was kidding. He’d talked about his plans for them: first came love—check—they
had that, and plenty of it. Second came marriage, and that would be happening
at the end of the month. Then a few years to get to know each other better.
Then babies, and lots of ‘em. She kissed his bare back and hugged him a little
harder.

He wrapped his arms around behind him to pull her closer.
“It’s serious stuff for me.”

“Okay, I’m sorry. I’ll try my best to abide by your
request.”

“Hmmm. Until that new bed arrives, I bet. Then you’ll use
those sexy, luring ways of yours to try to—”

“I have sexy, luring ways?” Her hands rubbed circles on his
belly.

“You know you do.” His hips jerked, wanting to feel her
palms lower, along his hard length that he needed to slide deep, deep inside
her hot, slick opening.

“Like this kind of luring way?” Her fingers traced the bulge
of his cock as it pressed against the soft cotton fabric of his briefs.

A chill raced up his spine, and his breath caught. “Yeah.
Just like that.” He leaned forward a little, watching the last truck disappear
over a hill.