Give My All to Jessie (Third in Outlaw Series)

Chapter Thirty-Three

Kaitlyn smiled far too brightly. "That's great! Isn't that great, mama? Everyone?"

"Yeah, that's great," Rose stated, her voice flat.

"Well let me guess, you all will want to live here too?" Marston asked, giving Rose a moment to settle down. "Why the hell not? We run the most welcoming halfway house, soup kitchen this side of the Mississippi." He stood and went to Rose and wrapped an arm around her tense shoulders before holding out a hand to Jessie.

"Nice to meet you again. I believe we met once when you were about this tall." He indicated his hip. "Your pa and I knew each other fairly well."

"Yes I remember," Jessie replied, recalling that her father's jaw had popped for a solid month after the punch Marston had delivered to it. Marston wasn't as frightening as she remembered. He was big and rough around the edges but Jessie had been around that kind of man for her entire life.... What she was scared damn near to death of was the soft-bodied red-head currently eying her with murder in her blue eyes and looking ready to pounce. From what Langley had said about his mama she was all softness and light...... but she was sure looking at Jessie as if she wanted to do nothing more than rip her head clean off her shoulders.

"Well come on and eat with us," Marston urged, frowning at his wife. "It's a good thing you came back to Langley. We wouldn't have been able to put up with his moping ass for much longer."

Jessie saw Langley's ears turn red as he led her to the table and everyone resumed their meal.

Delilah studied Marston. "Am I right in guessing that that was one of those instances when the word backside simply wouldn't have gotten your point across?"

Marston grinned. "You guess correctly."

Jessie felt awkward as hell as she sat at the table and attempted to eat the meal with the family. Family meals were something she'd never been part of. Most of this family seemed warm and welcoming and it helped that she knew Jeremiah—but the daggers being thrown her way by Langley's mother had her tense and on edge.

Rose stared at Jessie as if she were the enemy and, honestly, Jessie couldn't blame her. Jessie was the woman who had broken her son's heart and now suddenly she was sitting in her kitchen with no explanations. Jessie assumed protectiveness was a trait every good mother possessed and Rose seemed to have it in spades.

When the meal was finished, Marston stood. "Well it's time for me to head to work. You coming back to the shop today?" he asked Langley.

"Yeah. I need to finish up what I was working on and take Jessie back to Kaitlyn's house. She's staying there until we find someone to marry us."

Langley stood and Jessie followed suit. Delilah smiled at them. "I can perform the ceremony."

"That'd be great." Langley took Jessie hand and grinned. "Guess that means you gotta get to planning a wedding."

Jessie shook her head. "I'm not much on fancy dresses and flowers. Not much into ceremonies either. All I need is you."

Langley kissed her head and a snort from Rose followed by the sound of a plate crashing into the sink had them separating quickly. It didn't take long for the tension in the kitchen to clear it out and just as Langley was leading Jessie out as well, Rose turned. "Langley, can I speak with you a moment?"

Langley sighed and thought about saying no. The looks he received from Marston and Jessie had him changing his mind. "Alight mama." Marston and Jessie left the room, leaving them alone. "What is it?" Langley asked.

Rose threw down the small towel in her hand. "That woman has broken your heart more than once and now she comes back and you're going to marry her? Just like that?"