Page 18 of I Want Crazy (Loco, Texas 3)

Hannah released her with a wide, welcoming smile. “Is that short for anything?”

“No, my dad had something about outlaws, so I’m actually named for Jesse James, just the spelling is different.”

“Well, I…well. Make yourself at home, Jessie. Albert’s father is in the living room with his sisters.”

Jessie walked in behind Red, and five red heads spun her way, one an older man with silver sideburns and the other four females. The women looked to be in their early to late twenties, and each one of them watched her curiously.

It was as if she was walking in front of a firing squad.

“Who’s your friend, Albert?” the older man asked, getting up from his chair.

Red waved his hand between them. “Dad, this is Jessie. She just bought the Watering Hole. I’m late because I was helping her with her renovations. Jessie, this is my dad, Al.”

Jessie stepped forward and held out her hand. “Nice to meet you.”

“Likewise, Jessie.” Red’s father wasn’t quite as tall as him, but he was still a large man, and his hand encompassed hers with a firm grasp. “So you’re doing all those renovations yourself?”

“Well, I was, until your son stopped by to help.” Jessie shot Red an appreciative smile. “I’m going to have to hire some outside contractors, but for the most part, I’m hoping to do a lot of the work myself.”

“Have you renovated a bar before?”

Jessie chuckled. “No, but I watch a lot of DIY Network.”

Al threw his head back with a loud belly laugh. When he finally calmed down, he let go of her hand. “I’ll get you a couple of names of some guys I trust. They are very good and will give you a fair quote.”

“Thank you, I’d appreciate that.”

“I like a woman who isn’t afraid to get her hands dirty,” Al said.

She saw Al give his son a pointed look and wondered what that was about, but before she could ask, Red’s four sisters surrounded her. Red drifted off toward the kitchen, and she cursed him for abandoning her.

“Hey there, I’m MJ,” the one closest to her said. “Next to me is Tabitha, then Mary Belle, and Fiona.”

“I prefer Tabby.”

“Jessie.”

“So how’d you get stuck with our brother?” Fiona asked.

“I heard that, Fi,” Red called from the kitchen.

His sister shrugged, and Jessie grinned. “Actually, I think he was

trying to make up for our first meeting.”

“What happened? What did he do?” MJ asked, her eyes twinkling.

“Well, I was listening to music and minding my own business when someone started pounding—”

A large hand covered her mouth, and Red hissed, “Quiet, woman.”

Jessie froze at the press of his big body against her back and the warmth of his breath on her neck, a thousand fluttering wings batting against her stomach and rib cage. If his sisters hadn’t been watching, she might have done something stupid like lean back against him, but she didn’t like being told what to do.

And he had called her woman. Bastard.

She bit into his hand, and he yelped, “Ouch! You little savage.”

“And you’re a sexist, loud mouthed—”

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