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“They didn’t reject you, Jesse. They just don’t know how to love. But you do. You have the biggest heart I’ve ever seen. You’ve opened it up to me and Billy and Adeline and Brody and Mia. To Corbin and I’m sure Sunny when she finally comes home. Now it’s time to open it up all the way. I don’t know what happened tonight between you and Liberty, but I’m sure you’re not blameless. Men do stupid things when they have feelings for someone. Billy can tell you all about that.”
“Hey now, sugar buns,” Billy said. “I thought I’ve made up for my stupidity.”
“It’s an ongoing process . . . Bubba.” When Shirlene used Billy’s nickname, he usually shut up and conceded the argument. “Now you need to find that girl and tell her how you feel, Jesse.”
“What if I don’t know how I feel?”
“I think you know how you feel. You wouldn’t have called me if you don’t have strong feelings for this girl.”
That was putting it mildly. His feelings for Liberty weren’t just strong. They were overpowering. Which brought him to his main concern. “I don’t want to get hurt, Mama. Or hurt her.” He could almost see the tears welling in Shirlene’s green eyes. She always cried when he called her Mama.
“Then take things slow, baby. Tell her that you really like her and you want to spend more time with her. Start there and see how things go.”
“And if they go somewhere I’m not sure I want to go?”
“You worry about that when you get there. One step at a time, my sweet boy—Billy, stop that. I thought you were tired.”
“I’m awake now.”
Jesse rolled his eyes. Billy had never been able to keep his hands off Shirlene. He loved her with a passion that all the women in Bramble envied. Jesse wished he could love like that too. But Billy’s blood didn’t run through his veins. His cheating daddy’s did.
“I’ll let y’all go,” he said. “Thank you, Shirl.”
“You don’t have to thank me, honey. That’s what mamas are for. Here, Billy wants to talk to you.”
Jesse figured he was going to get yelled at for calling so late. Instead, Billy surprised him. “Trust your heart, son. It will never steer you wrong. And even if you’re not wrong, say you are. Believe me, it just makes life easier.”
After Jesse hung up, he stood there in the parking lot for a long moment. Was Shirlene right? Should he tell Liberty how he felt and take it one step at a time? But what if she didn’t feel the same way? Maybe she had just viewed tonight as a one-night stand. But even if she hadn’t, she wouldn’t let Jesse know. Like him, she didn’t show her feelings easily. Especially her hurt. And having the person you just had sex with jump up like a scalded cat and race off to the bathroom without a word would be hurtful to anyone.
“Shit.” He jumped in his truck and peeled out of the parking lot. With no traffic on the highway, it didn’t take him long to get to the Holiday Ranch. Liberty’s car was parked in front and the house was completely dark when he got there. He should turn right around and come back at a decent hour.
He couldn’t. He needed to talk to Liberty and he needed to talk to her tonight. If he had to wake up the entire house, so be it. He just hoped her daddy didn’t shoot first and ask questions later.
But it turned out Jesse didn’t have to wake Hank Holiday. Before he could even knock on the door, Liberty stopped him.
“Just what the hell are you doing, Jesse Cates?”
He glanced over to see her sitting on the porch swing. She’d taken her boots off and her bare feet were resting on the edge of the swing, her arms wrapped around her legs as if she’d been giving them a hug. Her hair spilled around her like a moonlit waterfall. Once again, he found himself tongue tied with emotions.
“Hey.”
She released her legs and set her feet on the floor. “Answer the question. What are you doing here?”
He took a few steps closer. Her face was in shadow, but he could see the tensing of her body. “I’m here to apologize for being an insensitive idiot.”
“Like I told you, I don’t need an apology. I can handle a one-night stand.”
He hesitated for only a moment before he spoke. “Well, it seems that I can’t. At least, not a one-night stand with you.”
“And what does that mean?”
He sighed and ran a hand through his hair. “I don’t know. I don’t know what these feelings are I have for you, Libby. And that’s what’s making me so freaked out. You aren’t like any woman I’ve ever met. You challenge me and you make me laugh . . . and you drive me completely crazy.”
“So you came here to tell me that I drive you crazy?”
“Yes . . . no! Shit. I’m really messing this up. And that’s the crux of the problem. I’m usually this calm, collected man who has no problems figuring things out. But I can’t figure this”—he waved a hand between them—“out. All I know is that I want to be with you. Not because of a bet, but just because I like being with you. Which scares me shitless because I’ve never done this relationship stuff before. And I don’t even know if I can.”
“So you’re saying you want to have a relationship with me, but you aren’t sure you can have a relationship?”
