Page 61 of Texas Made
“To do what? Be family? Chase has already hired more people. But they’re help, not family. And I don’t see either Cole or Jedidiah taking over. Cole’s got his own career. He’s into oil wells, not horses. And Jedidiah—I’m still not sure what she does, other than she travels a hell of a lot.”
“Speaking of our sister, don’t you think it’s odd that none of us really know what she does? I was talking to Jaclyn one day and couldn’t think what to tell her about Jedidiah.”
Marshall shrugged. “I guess. But Jedidiah is a grown woman so there’s not much we can do about that. One thing I know for sure. She doesn’t want to come back to the ranch and raise horses.”
Damaris laughed. “Too true. Sometimes I wonder how we’re related.”
*
It took Jaclynseveral weeks to get Divinity into a situation where she felt she could leave Rachel in charge. To be honest, she was still a bit apprehensive, but she knew the new situation would take time for everyone to adjust to. Particularly for her and Rachel.
She hadn’t been back to Whiskey River and Marshall hadn’t been to see her since her last visit to the ranch. She talked to Marshall nearly every night. She’d been tempted, so tempted to tell him about her plans. But nothing was settled yet. What if she told him and they were both so happy and then something went wrong and she couldn’t do it? Wouldn’t that just make it worse, to have their hopes dashed before she’d even started?
There were a million things she had to consider. Everything didn’t have to be nailed down before she told him but she wanted to be able to tell him that her moving to Whiskey River was a real, viable possibility. More than that. She wanted to be able to go to Whiskey River and find office and manufacturing space.
Once she did that she’d be committed.
She needed the commitment. Once she made up her mind to do something, she did it. Come hell or high water. The main or first thing she’d decided was that she and Marshall were going to live in the same town, no matter what she had to do to make that happen.
It wasn’t all about that. Part of it, the business part, was exciting. Making Divinity a success had been hard as hell. But it had also been the most rewarding thing she’d ever done. A lot of people were surprised by her age. As if someone who was still in her twenties couldn’t start up and run a successful company. All the naysayers could go hang. She’d more than proved them wrong.
She had a business plan from when she started Divinity, so she wasn’t starting from scratch. It needed modifying, of course, and she’d been working on that. But once she was satisfied with her plan then she intended to go to Whiskey River to begin implementing it. First stop, the First Bank of Whiskey River to talk to them about getting a loan and a mortgage once she found a place for her headquarters and manufacturing center. If she had trouble with that bank, though she didn’t think she would, there were other banks in the area.
She’d make an appointment with the bank manager. She’d already spoken to one of the local Realtors, Megan Clark, who she’d asked to keep quiet about her plans for the new venture. Megan was on the lookout for suitable locations to show her. Jaclyn had told her she was open as to location as long as it was in or near Whiskey River. She also wanted a space large enough to house both manufacturing and office space. Not necessarily in the same building but on the same property. Any existing buildings would need remodeling for her specific needs. Of course, she could also have what she needed built to suit her but that would take longer and be more expensive.
When she’d first started Divinity she’d run it from her apartment. After her father had helped her secure the bank loan she’d moved to another location and then to the present one as Divinity expanded. This time she’d be starting out with a space she intended to be able to grow with.
Jaclyn also had Megan on the lookout for a place for her to live. A rental, since she wasn’t sure how long she’d live in it. But she didn’t want to take anything for granted, such as she and Marshall moving in together. She wanted to at least have an option in case Marshall wasn’t ready to live together. As for her, she was more than ready but she didn’t want to rush him.
She needed to talk to Amber Hawthorne right away, to see if she wanted the position as her executive assistant, and of course, that she was willing to move to Whiskey River. She’d also need a marketing maven, someone in charge of manufacturing, and a number of other important positions to fill.
Should she tell Marshall now? There probably wasn’t a way around it if she intended to go down during the week. Really, why was she resisting telling Marshall about her plans? She fully intended to do it, so commitment wasn’t an issue. Once Marshall was convinced that the plan had been entirely her choice she knew he’d be happy to have her in Whiskey River… Wouldn’t he?
Confess. You’re worried he doesn’t really want you to move. You’re afraid he’s satisfied with the status quo.
Don’t be ridiculous. He hates that I’m doing all the traveling. He said he wanted to marry me.
It’s easy to say something you don’t really mean when there’s no way it’s going to happen.
Oh, shut up, she told her annoying alter ego.
Chapter Twenty-Four
Marshall admitted hewas worried. Why was Jaclyn coming down in the middle of the week? What kind of business did she have in Whiskey River? When she’d called and told him she was coming down he’d been surprised. He’d thought she was still busy with whatever her new project was. The project she’d been spending so much time on in the last few weeks. The project she apparently hadn’t been ready to talk about. And still wasn’t.
He didn’t have too much time to worry, though, since she’d only called that morning and was due to arrive late afternoon. Why should he worry anyway, since seeing her was exactly what he wanted?
He was down at the barn when he heard a car drive up. Minutes later she was in his arms and he was kissing her like there was no tomorrow. Eventually they broke apart long enough to talk.
“Don’t get me wrong, I’m always glad to see you, but what brought on this sudden need to come down here? I know it wasn’t only to see me.”
She smiled at him. That dazzling smile that had blown him away from the time she was nineteen and he was trying his best to resist her. Thank God he didn’t have to resist her anymore.
They walked outside to sit on a bench in the shade of a tree near the corral. The shade helped but early August in the Hill Country was still hot as hell. Jaclyn, however, looked as cool as could be.
“I wanted to be with you, of course. But yes, I have a definite purpose in coming down. I have an appointment with Randall Taylor tomorrow.”
It took him a moment to remember who she was talking about. “The banker? Why?”
