Page 76 of Make Me Crazy (Loco, Texas 2)

Worried he would say something he’d regret, Jake stomped towards the bathroom, and slammed the door.

“And be sure to shave! I’m not letting you leave the house looking like an unkempt heathen.”

“I’m not talking about it Earl, so just mind your own business.”

“It is my business when that lily livered dog has you crying so hard you look as puffy as a marshmallow that done sat on the fire too long.”

Rand was sitting at Earl’s kitchen table with a mountainous plate of pie and ice cream, glaring at him.

“Hey, I’m just stating facts. You look like hell and I don’t like it.”

Shoving a massive bite into her mouth, she ignored his prodding. The last thing she needed was Earl getting involved in her marriage and making things worse than they already were.

Jake kept trying to drum up the nerve to drop by and see Rand, but he was afraid she’d simply slam the door in his face.

Granted it wasn’t the first time Rand had kicked him out of her house or even told him to go to hell, but it was the first time he’d ever felt like she meant it.

He wanted to apologize. He’d missed her like crazy, laying in his old bed and thinking about her soft body curled into his. He missed kissing her awake in the morning and having her bat at him and grumble. But when she finally opened her eyes and they focused on him, she’d give him this sleepy smile…

Jake saw Earl standing in front of the store, pacing angrily at seven am on a Monday, and knew he was in trouble.

“Howdy Earl! What brings you?” He tried to sound casual but the narrow eyed rage he saw on the older man’s face took him back a step.

Earl marched forward and growled, “I warned you what would happen if you hurt that girl.”

Jake, on the defensive, said, “I don’t know what Rand told you but…”

Earl cut him off. “She didn’t tell me anything, but I could tell she was miserable by looking at her. I’ve known her since she was a little sprout, and the girl could never hide when she was hurting.”

Jake relaxed. “We just had a little argument.”

“A little argument that has you sleeping away from home instead of your own couch? Must have been some spat to keep you away from your own wife for six days.”

Jake gritted his teeth and ground out, “It’s between Rand and me, Earl, not you.”

Earl didn’t back down, not that Jake thought he would, but damn it, he didn’t want to be arguing with the man in the front of his store. “Look Earl, I’m going to go home and talk to Rand tonight. I just needed a couple days on my own.”

Earl snorted. “Next time I see her, she better be happy or you and I are going to have it out.”

Earl walked to his old beat up truck at that parting comment and roared off, leaving Jake in a worse mood than he’d already been in.

The bell on the door rang and Kim walked into the store, carrying a paper bag. Her pretty face was stretched into a wide smile as she set the bag down. “Hey there, Jake. I just came by to bring you some lunch. Thought maybe you could use a little comfort food since you and Miranda are having problems.”

He didn’t buy her innocent, sweet act for a minute and cursed the loose tongued gossips in this town. “Thanks Kim, but I’m actually fine. And so are Miranda and I.”

She reached out and patted his arm sympathetically. “Of course Jake, you are such a good man. I can’t imagine its easy being married to Miranda.”

Jake reached up to yank her hand off of his arm and caught movement out the window. Rand stood on the sidewalk, looking in at the two of them. She met his eye through the glass and gave him a disgusted look before she turned away.

Miranda heard Jake yell her name from inside the store but she didn’t want to look at him. He’d been gone for six days and while she’d been miserable and missing him like crazy, he’d been getting back to his old self.

She grabbed for the door handle of her truck and a very male hand slammed down on the window and she could feel the warmth of Jake’s lean body against her back. “Rand, it’s not what you think. She stopped by and I was just getting ready to tell her to leave. You know I can’t stand Kim.”

She let go of the handle and gathered her pride, as tattered as it was, and turned to him. His green eyes looked so sad, she wanted to believe him. Wanted to so badly.

Fool me once…

She steeled herself and said as casually as she could muster. “I really don’t care, Jake. Do whatever you want, but it was your idea to help me keep the Double C. I’m going to need you to come back to the ranch and live there, like we planned. I don’t want the gossip to spread to Mr. Cranston that we aren’t following my Granddaddy’s wishes and have all of this be for nothing.”

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