Читать книгу Inseparable - Brenda Jackson - Страница 14

Kenna ran her fingers through her short curls once more before sliding her feet into her sandals to go downstairs. She had only meant to sleep a few hours, but a quick glance at the clock showed it was almost noon. The luggage Reese had put in her bedroom was proof that he and his men had unloaded the truck without her help.

Hearing voices outside her bedroom window, she walked over to the sill and saw Reese talking to a few of his men on the ground below. She recognized all of them except one, so she figured he must be the new guy Reese had mentioned he was hiring. He was a pretty nice looking man. But the woman in her couldn’t help but appreciate Reese, especially in the looks departments. He was eye candy of the most luscious kind, and he epitomized what tall, dark and handsome truly meant. As far as she was concerned, no other man looked as good in a pair of jeans as Reese Madaris. But then he cleaned up rather nicely too, she thought, remembering how good he’d looked at Blade’s wedding last month.

She and Reese usually talked two or three times a week. It wasn’t unusual for him to tell her what was happening around the ranch. Sometimes he’d ask her opinion about certain things and she would do likewise. Whenever there was a problem she couldn’t resolve—personal or professional—he was the first person she called. And no matter what he was doing, no matter whether it was day or night, he would make time for her.

When she saw Reese head inside the house, leaving the group of men behind, she closed the curtain and proceeded to go downstairs. But before she reached the doorway, the phone rang.

Kenna and Reese had come to an understanding years ago that their friendship gave them the right to answer the phone at each other’s place. If the caller took issue with it, then that was their problem.

She picked up the phone in her room. “Tall Oaks Ranch.”

There was a pause.

“Yes, I’d like to speak to Reese,” said a woman’s voice.

Kenna immediately knew it was Alyson Richards, Reese’s ex-girlfriend, the one he’d dated for almost a year. Everyone had assumed that Alyson might become Mrs. Reese Madaris. But a few months ago, Reese had called and surprised Kenna when he casually mentioned that he and Alyson were no longer seeing each other. Kenna had every reason to believe it had been Reese’s decision and not Alyson’s. He hadn’t given her an explanation for the breakup, and she hadn’t asked for one.

“No problem. Hold on a minute.”

“Wait! This is Kenna, right?” the caller asked.

Kenna’s mouth curved into a smile that all but said, like you didn’t know. Instead, she said, “Yes, this is Kenna.”

“Hi, Kenna, this is Alyson. Reese told me you were moving to Houston. How nice.”

“Yes, it is nice.”

“And he mentioned you were moving into a town house.”

Kenna really didn’t want to get involved in a long conversation, since Alyson had never liked her and they both knew it. “It’s not finished yet.”

“Oh.”

A smile touched Kenna’s lips. She could imagine the wheels turning in Alyson’s head. It wouldn’t take her long to figure out that she was staying with Reese until her condo was finished. “Hold on, Alyson. I’ll get Reese for you.”

“Fine.”

Kenna put the phone down and went to the edge of the staircase. “Reese, you have a call. It’s Alyson.”

He appeared at the foot of the stairs and stared up at her and smiled. She drew in a deep breath at the way his lips curved and how his dimples seamlessly appeared. She couldn’t help but wonder if he was smiling at her or if he was smiling because Alyson was calling. Of course it’s because of Alyson and not you, a mocking voice said in her head. Get real, LaKenna James. Reese has no reason to smile at you that way.

“Okay. I’ll grab it down here. Did you get some rest?” he asked.

“Yes, but you should have woken me up, Reese.”

“No, you needed to sleep. You missed breakfast, but come join me for lunch.”

“Okay.” She went back to her bedroom, and when she heard two voices on the line she hung up the phone.

Alyson Richards.

Kenna couldn’t understand why Alyson didn’t like her when she had been more than friendly to her. Alyson, who worked as an executive administrator at a local hospital, was beautiful and had everything going for her—including being the daughter of a Texas senator. The few times Kenna had seen Reese and Alyson together she’d thought they looked good together, and if they married, they would have beautiful babies. The very thought hurt, but she’d been honest about it anyway.

“If I had a man in my life I wouldn’t have time for such thoughts,” Kenna muttered as she made her way down the stairs. When she walked into the kitchen Reese glanced over at her and then said to Alyson over the phone. “Here’s Kenna, why don’t you ask her?”

She lifted a brow. Reese shrugged his massive shoulders and handed her the phone. “Alyson wants to ask you something.”

Kenna continued to hold his gaze. “Yes, Alyson?” she said evenly.

“Kenna, now that you’re moving to Houston you probably don’t know a lot of people and I’ve come up with this wonderful idea,” she said in a cheerful tone.

Was this the same woman she’d spoken to earlier? The one who’d acted cool and reserved? “And what’s that, Alyson?”

“That Reese should give you a welcome-to-town party this weekend.”

Kenna shook her head. “He doesn’t have to do that.”

“I think he should, since you’re his best friend. And I’ve volunteered to help and host it at my place. It’s more than big enough, and since it’s in town it will be convenient to everyone. Reese said it’s okay with him if it’s okay with you. I think it’s a wonderful idea.”

A part of Kenna felt she should appreciate the gesture, but she had an uneasy feeling about Alyson. Drawing in a deep breath she turned her gaze away from Reese to look out the window.

She wasn’t sure why the two had split. But from the sound of things, Alyson intended to use this party as a way to get back together with Reese. There was nothing wrong with Alyson trying to patch things up, even if it was with Reese—the man Kenna loved. And because she loved him, she wasn’t about to stand in the way of someone who evidently was trying real hard to get a ring on her finger. Especially since it was a ring that Kenna would never wear.

She turned around to see Reese still leaning against the counter, watching her. She knew what he was doing. He was trying to read her, trying to figure out what she was thinking. Their eyes held for a moment before she lowered her gaze. “A party sounds like fun, but I wouldn’t want you to go to any trouble.”

“No trouble. Just let me handle everything. Goodbye.”

“Goodbye.”

She handed the phone back to Reese. “That’s nice of her to do that.”

Reese didn’t say whether he thought it was a nice gesture or not. Instead, he said, “Go ahead and sit down. A couple of PBJs with cookies and milk are coming up.”

Kenna smiled as she eagerly plopped down in one of the chairs at the kitchen table. At heart she was a simple girl who liked simple things. Though most women preferred gourmet food, a peanut butter and jelly sandwich topped off with cookies and milk hit the spot better than anything. The same was true for Reese. That was one of the first things they’d discovered they had in common.

She watched Reese as he made the sandwiches and thought the same thing now that she did whenever she saw him, no matter what he was wearing. He was more good-looking than any man had a right to be—gorgeous beyond words, ruggedly handsome and sexy to a fault. Plus he was the most wonderful friend in the world.

When other women saw him, they only looked at what was on the outside. She knew him inside and out. He was hardworking, honest and caring. He had this protective side when it came to her that set her teeth on edge one minute and made her feel like the most adored woman on earth the next.

She studied his hands as they spread peanut butter across the slice of bread. They were large hands—callused, even scarred in some places. She had begun imagining those same hands touching her in places a friend’s hands didn’t dare go. She probably should have hung her head in shame. But right now, she preferred sitting there and watching him through the lustful eyes of a woman who wasn’t his best friend.

He was humming one of Drake’s songs in a deep, velvety voice. He was certainly in a good mood. Had Alyson’s phone call done that to him? She knew she shouldn’t be envious of her if it had. Kenna knew she needed to put her feelings for Reese in check over the next few weeks and stop dreaming about something that wasn’t going to happen, something that could end their friendship if Reese ever found out. She wasn’t going to let her out-of-control libido jeopardize her relationship with the best friend she’d ever had.

She turned away and looked outside the window, instead. He had insisted that she stay here while her town house was being finished. Maybe she shouldn’t have been so quick to jump at his offer. But then, she always stayed with him whenever she came to Houston. But a month was a long time to live under someone’s roof. They’d never been together that long before. Was he up for it? Was she? He liked his space and she liked hers. But for some reason they had no problem sharing with each other.

Moments later, Reese brought the sandwiches to the table along with a plate of chocolate chip cookies and a pitcher of milk. She glanced over at him when he sat down. “You never did say why you and Alyson broke up,” she asked as she poured a glass of milk.

He glanced over at her. “You never asked.”

Point taken.

Had she asked, he would have told her, since there were no secrets between them. The fact that he didn’t know that she was attracted to him didn’t count. “Okay, I’m asking now.”

He poured a glass of milk. “She was becoming too possessive, and after a while she became jealous of you.”

Kenna winced. “Of me?”

“Yeah. She started questioning our friendship. Said she didn’t believe we were just friends.”

Kenna nodded. “But she does now?”

“We’ll see.”

For a moment Kenna couldn’t do anything but stare at her milk. Did that mean Reese was giving Alyson another chance? Was she going to reclaim the spot she’d once held with Reese? He had hung in with Alyson longer than any of his past girlfriends. A part of Kenna knew she should be glad he was on the verge of possibly getting back together with Alyson, but…

“I need to meet with Dex later today at the office. Do you want to come with me?” he said, interrupting her thoughts.

A few years ago Reese had accepted a position with his cousin Dex’s company, Madaris Explorations, and a couple of months ago he had been promoted to foreman. He had been ecstatic, elated and honored. He also knew he had big shoes to fill—those of Trevor Grant, the previous foreman. Trevor and two of his Marine buddies had decided to open a tactical operations firm.

In college, Reese had followed in Dex Madaris’s footsteps and had gotten a degree in geology. And like Dex, he began working with Remington Oil right out of college. He’d traveled extensively when he’d worked for Remington, and had gotten the chance to work alongside some of the world’s most renowned scientists and researchers.

Kenna glanced up and couldn’t help but stare at how his mouth had widened to take a bite of his sandwich. She could just imagine that mouth touching her body in a number of places. She took a sip of her milk, not liking the way her thoughts were going. But how could she make them stop moving in that direction?

“Kenna?”

She glanced up at Reese. “Yes?”

“Do you want to go with me to the office?”

She shrugged. “Sure. I can unpack later. Besides, I need to stop by and see Clayton and Syneda. Now that I’m living in Houston, I want them to handle all my legal affairs, especially the foundation I’ve established in my grandmother’s honor.”

“Okay. I have a couple more things to do around here and then I’ll be leaving around three,” he said.

“I’ll be ready.”

He leaned back in his chair and looked at her with his deep, piercing brown eyes. “Something is bothering you, Kenna, I can feel it. And I want to know what it is.”

Kenna swallowed hard. There was no way she was going to come clean and tell him what was really on her mind. It was her problem and not his. And truthfully, it shouldn’t have been her problem either. He wasn’t a fantasy she should be entertaining. She decided to feign nonchalance. “Nothing is wrong with me, Reese, other than I’m anxious about my job. You know how I am about starting something new.”

She saw his body relax a little. “But that was one hell of an offer the HPD made,” he said.

“I know,” she said with a heavy sigh. “But still, change isn’t easy for me, and other than you and your family I don’t know anyone here.”

He nodded slowly. “That’s why Alyson thinks the party is a good idea. Are you sure you want one?”

She shrugged. To be perfectly honest, she didn’t, but she wouldn’t tell him that. He worried about her enough as it was and she didn’t want to come off as ungrateful. “I don’t want to put anyone out by having them throw a party for me. But if that’s a way to meet people, then yes, I’m fine with it. It might be fun.”

“First of all, you aren’t putting anyone out. I should have thought of doing it myself, but I didn’t. So maybe Alyson has the right idea after all.”

She took a sip of her milk. If for one minute he thought Alyson wanted to throw this party for anything other than her own selfish reasons then he needed to think again. And now that she knew why Alyson and Reese had split, Kenna figured the woman had a good reason for wanting her to meet other people.

Fortunately for Alyson, her little plan just might work. In order for Kenna to rid herself of all these crazy, far-out fantasies she’d been having about Reese, she needed to meet someone, and the sooner the better.

She glanced up at him. “Yes, maybe she does have the right idea.”

Reese bit into his cookie. It shouldn’t have come as a surprise that Kenna was having second thoughts about moving to Houston, even though, like he’d said, the offer had been a good one.

He of all people knew how Kenna felt about change. When she’d told him about the offer, he had all but talked her into taking the job, mainly for his own purely selfish reasons. She was his best friend and he wanted to have her close by. Why? So he could look after her, of course. Without him around, she would work fifteen-hour days and not take care of herself. Being only a few miles away and in the same city was a lot better than being a hundred-fifty-plus miles away in another city. He’d never regretted the times he’d made the drive or took a flight to Austin to see her. But still…

“Want some more milk?”

He glanced over at her. “Yes. Thanks.”

He watched as she lifted the pitcher and poured the milk into his glass. “So what about that guy you were seeing, Curtis Purcell?” he asked. “The two of you didn’t want to do the long-distance romance thing?”

He wondered why he was asking her about it when he hadn’t asked about him for months. She hadn’t brought up Purcell either, which had been just fine with Reese, since he didn’t care for him. Come to think of it, he’d stopped liking him the night when he had shown up at Kenna’s house to surprise her, only to discover she was out on a date with Purcell. Reese had let himself in, made himself at home and had been there when Purcell had brought her home.

The man had kissed Kenna good-night when she got out of the car, but hadn’t bothered walking her to the door. How tacky was that? As far as Reese was concerned, a gentleman not walking a woman to the door after a date was downright disrespectful.

She glanced over at him. “No. Why do you ask?”

“Just wondering.” It was on the tip of his tongue to ask why, but he decided he would ask another time. He finally realized that for the first time in eleven years, neither of them was involved with anyone else.

He glanced at his watch as he stood. “I’ve got a few things I need to take care of before we leave for town.”

“All right. I see you’ve got a new guy working for you. I looked out the window and saw him earlier.”

“Yes, his name is Clark Lovell and he started today,” Reese said. “Already I can tell he’s one that keeps to himself. He doesn’t have much to say, but he can handle a horse and can rope a cow and that’s what Joe needs.”

He paused a moment. “And just so you know, Joe is going to ask you about fixing Sunday dinner.”

She smiled. “I don’t have a problem with that.”

He chuckled. “I figured you wouldn’t. You’re such a soft touch when it comes to the ranch hands. I’ll be back to pick you up at three.”

“Okay.”

He headed for the door and then turned back after grabbing his Stetson off the rack. “I know you’re still wondering if you did the right thing moving to Houston, Kenna. If you ask me, I think it was the right decision.”

He walked toward the door, hoping that on that particular subject she believed him.