LITMIR.BIZ

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him and made him a little twitchy. Usually, this house was bustling.

      Lucy and her young son, Brody, lived in the east wing, but four-year-old Brody had the run of the place and had never known a silent moment. Lucy was a single mom, and again Jesse had to struggle past twin pangs of guilt and regret at the thought. But his sister also had everyone on this ranch helping her out with the boy that kept all of them on their toes.

      Jesse headed for the study, Roy’s old office. Since his death, the whole family used it since Jesse hadn’t been able to stake his own claim on the room in spite of being in charge of the ranch now. His boot heels hit the shining, hardwood floor in a series of taps that reminded him of a heartbeat, fast and hard.

      The double doors were open, so he walked inside, subconsciously taking in the familiar room. Deep, maroon leather chairs, heavy tables and sturdy brass floor lamps. A thick rug with a map of the Ace In the Hole emblazoned across it, walls filled with books, and a bar where crystal decanters filled with whiskey, brandy and vodka glinted in the light. A river stone hearth simmered with a low-burning fire, and at the wide, broad desk sat Will, looking uneasy.

      Opposite him, in one of the leather chairs, was Jillian Norris.

      The instant Jesse’s gaze landed on her, he felt a jolt of something hot and fierce slam into the center of his chest. The woman made a hell of a picture. She was tall, at least five foot ten without high heels. Her long, wavy blond hair was pale enough to look like spun gold, even caught up in the ponytail he’d rarely seen her without. Those huge hazel eyes of hers looked both wounded and defiant. An interesting mix that had drawn Jesse in from the beginning. The few times he’d seen her, Jesse had noticed the stubborn tilt to her chin and the light of devotion in her eyes when she looked at her daughter.

      Will looked up at him. “Jesse?”

      “Go ahead. Don’t let me interrupt.” He ignored the flash of irritation on his little brother’s face as he moved farther into the room and took a seat in one of the chairs.

      Will’s frown only lasted an instant, probably because he knew it wouldn’t have the slightest effect on Jesse. He focused on Jillian again. “If I could make this easier on you, I’d like to.”

      Jesse watched the woman. She looked...embarrassed, and he wondered if she’d had that expression before he’d intruded on this meeting. He should probably regret coming in here, but he didn’t.

      “And I appreciate it,” Jillian said, her voice soft enough that Jesse had to strain to hear her. “But I’ve told you. You don’t owe me anything. Mac’s not your daughter.” She took a breath, then sighed a little. “I know that now.”

      Will got up from behind the desk and walked around it. Leaning back against the front edge, he said, “I’m not her father, no. But the man who is was pretending to be me and that hits close enough to home for me that I can’t ignore it.”

      She stiffened in her chair and folded her hands tightly in her lap. “Look, I don’t need your help. Mac and I will get along fine—”

      Jesse heard the pride in her voice and knew Will did, too, when his brother spoke next.

      “This isn’t charity, okay?” He flicked an impatient glance at Jesse, as if silently trying to tell him to go away.

      Jesse shook his head.

      Sighing, Will turned back to the woman who was saying, “What else would it be?”

      “A favor,” Will said. “To me.”

      She laughed, and even in this weird situation, Jesse’s insides responded to that low, throaty chuckle. He shifted uncomfortably.

      “You want a favor. From me.” Disbelief rang loudly in her tone.

      “Absolutely.” Will laid his hands on his thighs and leaned toward her. “The bastard—excuse me.”

      She laughed. “I’ve heard worse and I think we can agree whoever the man was, pretending to be you, he deserves that description and more.”

      Jesse admired that. She had her pride, but she was also willing to look at a situation and see it for what it was, not what she’d like it to be.

      “Well,” Will said, “my mom would have a fit if she heard me cussing in front of a lady, so excuse me anyway.”

      She nodded.

      “As I was saying, the man who stole my identity stole more than my name. He took my reputation, too, and ran it into the ground.”

      Jesse scowled, seeing the look of frustration on his brother’s features. He knew Will was having a hard time with all of this, but he hated seeing evidence of it.

      “You didn’t do anything to me,” Jillian said softly.

      “I know that, but as I said, it was done in my name and I’m going to feel terrible about that unless you help me out.”

      A second or two passed before Jillian shook her head and smiled wryly. “Oh, you’re good at this, aren’t you? Getting people to do what you want, I mean.”

      “Used to be,” Will admitted.

      “Still are,” Jesse said quietly.

      Jillian turned her head to look at him, and their eyes locked. Even on opposite sides of the room, there was a thread of connection that snapped and crackled between them. And Jesse saw by the flash of acknowledgment in her eyes that she felt it, too. Not that he cared.

      “My big brother over there knows how hard-headed I am,” Will said and Jillian shifted her gaze back to him. “What I’m trying to say is, it’s important to me to rebuild my good name. So let me help. If I’m worried about you and your daughter, it’ll take time away from me getting back to my own life.”

      Jesse watched for her reaction and he could see in her eyes that she wasn’t buying it. That was the only reason he spoke up when he did. “He’s not lying.”

      She turned her head to look at him again and that electrical pulse between them erupted. Her gaze fixed on his and Jesse could have sworn even the air between them burned. He wasn’t interested in this. Had no time for the distraction of a woman—and this woman would be the Queen of all distractions. So he pushed away any sense of attraction he was feeling and focused on making his point known. “Will’s got a lot going on right now.”

      She laughed shortly, but her eyes remained cool and flat. “Yeah. I know.”

      “Then you should know he’s not going to rest until you and your daughter are taken care of.”

      “I’m not a problem to be solved and neither is my daughter.”

      “He didn’t mean—” Will said.

      “That’s not what I said,” Jesse interrupted, cutting his brother off. “And I think you know it. So don’t go looking to be offended when there’s no intent.”

      Will fired a hard look at him that Jesse ignored. He never took his gaze off Jillian, so he recognized when she accepted his words.

      She nodded briefly. “Okay, you’re right. I was doing that.”

      “I’m also right about you letting Will off the hook—”

      “He’s not on a hook,” Jillian snapped. “I just said so.”

      “I never thought I was—”

      Jesse cut Will off again. “There you go. Offense where none’s meant. I’m trying to tell you that if you don’t let Will do what he thinks is fair and right here, you’re going to punish him for something that wasn’t his fault.”

      “Jesse, why don’t you let me—”

      “I told him it’s not his fault,” Jillian argued, and this time she cut Will off.

      “He won’t believe you,” Jesse said.

      “Yes,

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