Page 88 of Kayla's Cowboy
Kayla knew they were probably still hopeful that she’d get together with Jackson. But even if Jackson became interested in something long-term, he’d expect a woman to give everything in a relationship, to continually prove herself. There would never be any kind of partnership, no give-and-take, no compromises. Everything would have to be done his way.
In a crazy way, she felt sorry for him. He’d gotten badly burned by his marriage and the woman he’d dated after his divorce, but she didn’t want to pay the price for someone else’s misdeeds.
Elizabeth’s voice broke into her thoughts. “We’re going to miss you so much when you’re gone. The time has flown by.”
Kayla bobbed her head. She would miss them, too, but returning to a normal routine was attractive...and getting away from Jackson was even more attractive. Perhaps she could resolve her conflicted emotions once she was back in Seattle.
“Tomorrow is our last day. Maybe the kids and I should spend it here with you instead of going to the Crazy Horse,” she suggested.
“Oh, no, they enjoy the ranch so much,” Elizabeth insisted. “It would be selfish to keep Alex away from Jackson in any case, and we’re invited to spend the day over there as well, along with his side of the family.”
“Sure,” Kayla agreed, still thinking about Jackson. Somehow he’d managed to get through her defenses, though he was the last person she should love. Not that she did love him, she assured herself. And even if she did, it didn’t make any difference. They couldn’t have a future together.
* * *
MORGAN OPENED THE package Kayla had just given her and stared at the silver-and-gold pendant on a real gold chain. It was a figure of a girl, holding up her hands and cupping a glowing round ball.
“Oh, my gosh, it’s so pretty,” she breathed. “What kind of stone is that?”
“It’s called chrysocolla,” Kayla explained. “You’ve had your summer turned upside down because of us, so I wanted to give you something as a thank-you.”
Morgan didn’t know what to say. The girl in the pendant had gold hair, and the way she was reaching up to the milky turquoise color of the stone was like...maybe a fairy tale.
“Is it from a story or something?” she asked.
“I’m not sure. A friend designed it and she loves old Irish and Welsh tales,” said Kayla. “I have a similar one and asked her to send this to Montana for you as a gift. But don’t feel bad if it doesn’t appeal to you.”
“I never had anything so incredible.” No one had given her any jewelry since she’d stopped wearing girlie things. “Can you help me put it on?”
Kayla fastened the chain at the back of her neck and Morgan stood at the mirror, admiring the pendant resting in the open V of her shirt.
“Moooommm,” a voice called from downstairs.
Kayla laughed. “I’d better go find out what DeeDee’s crisis is now.” She turned and left.
Down the hall, Morgan found her dad coming out of his bedroom. “Look what Kayla gave me,” she told him excitedly, pointing to the necklace. “It’s real gold and everything, but I don’t want to look silly. Do you think it’s too fancy for me?”
He looked at her carefully. “Morgan, no woman will ever accuse me of knowing much about fashion, but if my opinion counts, it looks great.”
She smiled, gave him a hug and trotted downstairs.
* * *
JACKSON STARED OUT the window into the backyard, where Morgan had emerged to talk with Alex. Score another one for Kayla Anderson. Whether by instinct or by chance, she’d found something that Morgan loved. There had been an excited glow in his daughter’s eyes that he hadn’t seen in quite a while.
Lord, he’d entirely missed the boat with Morgan, but the worst part was that she’d somehow gotten the idea she wasn’t wanted.
He found Kayla in the living room, picking foxtails from DeeDee’s socks.
“I couldn’t help it,” DeeDee was explaining. “Cory was there and I wanted to see what he was digging up.”
“Next time look before tromping through a bunch of dry grass.”
When Kayla was done, DeeDee raced off while her mother collected stray burrs from the hardwood floor. Her efforts yielded a nice view of her shapely behind, but Jackson kept a firm grip on his reaction.
“Good morning,” he said.
Kayla straightened and he saw that her eyes were carefully guarded. “Hi.”
“I saw the necklace you gave to Morgan. It’s beautiful.”
“I wanted to acknowledge the way her summer plans had to change because of us.”
“It was very thoughtful.”