"I get weak in the knees; and I lose my breath. Oh I try to speak but the words won't come. I'm so scared to death. And when you smile the world turns upside down. Whenever you come around. I feel so helpless; I feel just like a kid. What is it about you that makes me keep my feelings hid. I wish I could tell you, but the words can't be found. Whenever you come around." ~Whenever You Come Around~ Vince Gill~

Jackson quickly tossed himself into the saddle of the ornery mustang that he had to have rough broke by the end of the week so they could move on into the gentler stuff. Jack's body nearly bounced when he hit the hard dirt beneath him. "Sonuvabitch!" He groaned as the air left his lungs. He covered his head as the mustang's hooves rained down around him.

He crawled out the corral as quickly as his abused body could. He rolled onto his back, panting with his eyes squeezed shut. A shadow fell over his face. He opened his eyes to find Misty kneeling next to him.

"Are you okay?" Jack nodded and was finally able to get a full lung of air. She waved over Johnny. "Can you help him inside? It's almost supper time anyways." Misty led the way over to the couch. "You can drop him here. Thank you Johnny."

"No problem Miss. Rundell." Johnny tipped his hat and helped Jack onto the couch. "You be good to her Boss, she deserves it." Johnny sauntered out of the house.

Jackson lay on the couch staring up at the smooth wire ceiling. Misty sat on the edge of the cushion with a cool wet rag. As she cleaned his face and neck, she gently inspected the bruises on his jaw. "Hold this to your face. I'll go dish up supper."

#

Misty and Jack lay in their bed that night. Jack, with his swollen cheek and bruised body, was trying to catch up on the account books for the ranch. He finally tossed down the calculator in frustration and closed the book. "I friggin' hate math!" He pressed the heels of his hands into his eyes. Misty watched him for a second before taking pity on him. She snuggled up close to him, careful of his bruises.

"What can I do to help?"

Jackson sighed and wrapped his arm around her shoulders, his fingertips brushing against her collarbone. "Nothing. Not right now anyways. I'm just trying to think of how the hell I'm supposed to do get the damn accounts figured out. Up until last year, I had a man in town do the books, but he moved away. Looking at all of these numbers is making my vision swim."

"Would you like me to work on the account books for you? I did go to school to be an accountant."

"If you want to, go ahead. Math never was my strong suit in school. I was better at sports, history and English."

"Is that why one of the bedrooms is dedicated to books?"

"A man can always use a library of his own. Besides guests shouldn't mind if there are five book cases lining the walls." Misty smiled as she shook her head.

"You're such a strange man." Jackson quickly rolled and braced himself above her.

"I may be strange, but I'm a smart, strange man." He dropped a kiss to her lips. He kissed every freckled inch of her face before traveling south. His hands skimmed over her skin as his mouth loved on her shoulders and breasts. When his hand brushed against her core, she froze. Jackson sighed, "I promise you'll like it. Relax Sweetheart." His fingers worked their magic and Misty was soon wiggling against him. He smiled as he pulled away. "How about we take a late night shower?"

Misty would've followed him anywhere if he would just take care of the ache she was feeling. Jack scooped her up into his arms and carried her to the bathroom. He placed her on her feet as he turned the water on. Misty had her arms wrapped around his waist as the frigid spray hit her skin. Jack turned her so he would be blocking the water until it warmed up. Jackson tilted her face up as he dipped down to gently kiss her sweet lips. Misty felt flushed and her legs felt like they were made of jelly. She moaned Jack's name when his lips moved to her jaw and neck.

Jackson's hands wandered, arousing her senses as well as her body. He smiled against her shoulder when her finger nails dug into his back. He spread her legs apart just a tad. She gasped with surprise. Jack leaned down further to kiss her breasts. His mouth was gentle yet firm as he scraped his teeth against her straining nipple. He caught her when she fell over the edge.

Misty could hardly breathe, much less stand. Jackson kissed her already kiss swollen lips. "That was only a taste my dear."

"Oh my." Jack chuckled, but oh did he have one hell of a 'problem'. Once Misty could stand on her own. Jack, still sporting an impressive erection, stepped back a couple inches. Misty's eyes widened as she saw the sheer size of him. "My God Jack! That thing will tear me to shreds!"

He couldn't help laughing just a little. "Trust me honey, it will fit."

Misty bit her bottom lip. "What can I do to make you feel what I just did?" Jackson smiled as he kissed her nose. He guided her hand and then let her do whatever. He rested his head on her shoulder, desperately trying to control his body. Jackson lightly nipped at her neck. He swayed slightly and braced a hand against the wall. His body seemed to have a mind of its own as it moved in time with Misty.

When his release came, he wrapped his arms around Misty, smoothing her wet hair down her back and kissing her neck and jaw. After his heart finally slowed back down, he grabbed two wash cloths and the bar of soap. He lathered up the cloths and handed one to Misty. The other, he used to gently scrub away the evidence of his release and maybe even arouse Misty again.

Jackson carried Misty back to bed, kissing her forehead as he laid her down. He moved his lips to hers as he set to warming her body up again. He loved the little sounds she made as she reacted to his touch. He spent what felt like hours just kissing and touching. Misty was ready to go insane. A loud, urgent shout from the downstairs made Jackson freeze. He quickly crawled out of bed and threw on his jeans and a t-shirt, he shoved his bare feet into his boots and ran down the hallway.

"What is it?!" She heard Jack holler back down the stairs.

"There's been a shooting over at the McLaren place. We don't know if anyone was hurt, but a neighbor reported a shot."

Jack came back into the room and dug in his underwear drawer to find his badge. "I'll be back after a while." He gave her one last soul-searing kiss and disappeared from the house.

#

After almost a week of kissing, touching, and learning each other's bodies- but never going all of the way, Misty felt like she would never get rid of the constant ache inside of her. Shoot- they didn't bother with clothing when it came time to go to bed because quite frankly- Jack just didn't have the patience for it. Right now, Jackson lay beside her reading the latest issue of the American Cattleman. Misty was tired of hearing the crinkle of magazine pages. She was going crazy. She plucked it from his hands and leaned over him to plop it on his night stand. She watched his coffee colored eyes turn nearly black. Misty fumbled with what words to say or what she should do.

Jack seemed to sense her dilemma and made the first move. The kiss was gentle and slow, his touch was calming and reassuring. He rolled her onto her back, keeping his weight off of her as much as he possibly could. Jackson slipped his hand down into the juncture of her thighs. Misty wiggled and bucked against his hand. "Jack more-"

"Yes ma'am." Jack moved over her, aligning himself and getting ready to go. He smiled softly as he kissed down her jaw on a path down to her chest. Her fingers threaded through his hair, holding his mouth to her breast. She hooked a leg over his hip. God that woman drove him crazy.

Jack reigned himself in and slowed things down considerably. "Please Jack, make the ache go away." He smiled down at her and tasted her lips as he slowly pushed into her, groaning at how tight and wonderful she felt.

Misty was what he figured whiskey would be like if it were a woman. She drugged him with a single taste. Jack couldn't believe how long he had lasted because the moment she tensed around him and his name passed through her kiss swollen lips, he was a goner. God forgive him, but he couldn't pull out of her. He decided that he loved his name as it whispered passed her lips while in the throes of passion, far better than he loved her laugh.

He lay on top of her, smoothing her hair from her blushed face as he kissed her repeatedly. Misty laid her hand against his cheek. She welcomed his weight, needing something to hold her down. "I didn't hurt you did I?" Jackson propped himself up on his elbows.

"No." Misty still couldn't believe what it had felt like. Jackson kissed her lips again, pouring out his love for her.

"It gets better." Jackson rolled so she was on top. He was ready to go again and he could tell she was too. He shifted to where he was propped up against the pillows. "Do whatever feels good."

"But what about you?"

"Sweetheart, I can guarantee anything you do will make me happy. And while you're up there, my hands are free to roam." He wiggled his eyebrows playfully.

Jackson woke up with Misty tucked into his side. Never had a woman affected him so much. This woman, for some reason, made him feel so many emotions. Sometimes he was frustrated with her and other times, he just couldn't get enough of her. Jack rolled onto his side, pulling her soft body in close to his. "Oof." Misty stretched against him. "Good morning."

"Good morning to you too. Are you sore?" He mumbled against her hair.

"A little, but I don't mind at all." Jackson smiled sleepily as he kissed her forehead. Misty slid her leg up over his and cuddled closer. Jackson closed his eyes again and drifted back to sleep.

"Hey Silverman!" There was pounding on the door down stairs. Jackson mumbled and pulled Misty back into his arms. She tossed an arm over his waist. "Jackson! Get your ass down here!" The voice was now inside. The feel of soft, hot kisses were the driving force that woke him up.

Jackson smiled sleepily at her as Misty kissed his lips. "Someone is in the house."

"Really?" Jackson sat up, his eyes wide open. He sat there waiting for a sound. He looked back at Misty. "I don't hear any-"

"Jackson! Goddammit! Hurry up and get your ass down here!"

Jack sighed and pulled on his sweat pants. "I'll be right back." She heard him jog down the stairs.

#

Jackson grumbled the whole way down the flight of stairs to where his foreman stood. "What?"

"Jackson, there's someone pokin' around town. Colten has tried callin' you, but there was no answer."

"I was doing better things." Jackson mumbled as he scrubbed his hands over his face. "Does he know who it is?"

"He's new, and flashing a very shiny F.B.I badge."

"Dammit. Keep an eye out. I'm going to stay inside with the girls today."

"Alright Boss."

"And don't interrupt my day unless it's important."

"Yessir." Johnny had a goofy grin on his face. Finally, his boss would stop being such a grouchy hard ass.

Jackson turned and went back up the stairs. Misty was now dressed and holding Autumn close. "Let's go downstairs where it's warmer."

"What did Johnny want?"

"He was just asking if there was anything we needed from town." The lie rolled off his lips before he could stop it. Thankfully, Misty didn't catch on, instead she just watched as her daughter nursed. Jackson smiled as he watched his girls. He really liked the way that sounded.

He went about straightening up the room. He tried to keep himself busy, since bedding Misty again just wasn't an option. He had worn the poor girl out and he wanted to go slow with her. Misty burped Autumn before moving the baby back into the crook of her arm to rock her back to sleep. "Is it okay if we just stay up here?"

"Are you sure?" Jackson cocked an eyebrow. He sat next to her on the bed and held her close.

"Of course I am." She smiled at him in a way that made his heart feel funny. That woman could turn his world upside down with just a flash of those pearly whites. Misty's features softened. "Thank you."

"I'm not doing anything to be thankful for."

Misty tucked herself in next to him and rested her head on his shoulder. "When I first met you, I thought you could just spit nails when I took your order." She sighed. "And then I saw how you were with Autumn. I got this funny feeling in my belly at seeing my tiny baby girl in this big, dark, rough-looking cowboy's arms. That was the first time I saw you smile too. I thought I might fall in a heap just because of that one tiny, little-bitty smile."

Jackson chuckled and kissed the top of her head. "I've been doing that a lot lately. Smiling. Thank you for that. What I remember about that day was seeing this beautiful woman, flinching, and hiding from every man in that diner. I couldn't help thinking about what Colten had told me about what he knew from you and Joel. I couldn't stop thinking how a woman who had been through what you had, could still smile and still love your baby even though you were almost killed by that monster." Jackson squeezed her closer to him. "I was pissed that I was feeling sympathy for someone."

Autumn's eyes drifted open and her little arms reached for her daddy. Jackson picked his baby girl out of her mama's arms and cuddled her close to his bare chest. "She really adores you."

"I adore her too." Jackson kissed Autumn's downy hair and breathed in the scent of warm baby. He could get used to his mornings being like this. Jackson moved Autumn to his lap so he could see her toothless grin. Misty tickled the bottoms of Autumn's tiny feet, causing her to squeal with laughter.

They lay wrapped up in each other's arms, talking about their childhoods and their most embarrassing moments- or in Jackson's case the stupidest. Like how he had drunkenly chased cows and had been attacked by chickens- he openly admitted that he hated the feathered beasts. Misty recounted growing up with her brothers and little sister. She told him of when she and her brothers got into trouble for playing practical jokes on each other. She'd never forget when she got busted for putting Icy-Hot in her brothers' underwear.

Jackson pressed a kiss to her temple. How did he even begin to tell the woman in his arms that he had never felt this way before? She meant more to him that he cared to admit.

"Jackson? Josh is going to find me sooner than later. I need to find a new hiding place."

"No. You are not leaving."

"You can't make me stay. If you or anyone else gets hurt because of-"

"You are staying even if I have to lock you up in this room." Misty wiggled out of his arms and walked over to the window.

"He could kill you, Jack! I couldn't handle it if he did."

"And if you leave this ranch, he could kill you and Autumn in one skilled shot. I've read his files, I know he can pull of a shot like that."

"How do you know that he'll kill me?"

"Because he said he would!" Jackson was sitting up in bed, angrily scowling at her. "I'm the one who had to doctor you and be your goddamn nursemaid after last time. I can't bring you back to life!"

"Maybe I don't want you to." Misty hardly whispered.

Jackson set Autumn in her crib and went to Misty. He gripped her shoulders, "Don't talk like that. I can spend every day, showing you that you are needed here."

"Jackson, you need a woman who can love you and give you babies and make you happy."

"You make me a lot of things. Happy. Angry. Sad. Hopeless. You make me feel like a teenager all over again." Jackson kissed her deeply. "And you make me want to say to hell with this ranch and stay inside all day."

"Surely not-" Jackson cut off her reply; he wanted her to understand; he needed her to stay.

"As for babies. I'm not against adopting if that's what it takes. I'll take you to a big city doctor to see if it's possible or safe for you to have children. Or if there is something we can do. If not, we'll adopt."

"Are you sure you want to keep me around?"

"Yeah. I don't see you cheating on me with a ranch hand anytime soon."

"I would never cheat. That would mean two men would have to think I was attractive."

"I have twelve ranch hands that stop and stare as you go by. The youngest gets so bashful that he turns red. And ol' Eric swipes his hat off his bald head the moment he sees you."

Misty hugged her middle. What was she going to do? She wanted to stay with Jackson, but if she did, Josh might kill him. "I'll stay on one condition. If a gun is pointed at you or anyone else when Josh finds me, I want you to just let him take me."

"Not a chance." Jackson shook his head. "I will not let him lay a hand on you."

"Jackson, please. I don't want you getting hurt." It was her turn to hold his face in her small hands. She stood on her tip toes to kiss his firm lips. Jackson slipped his arms around her.

Jackson pulled her in close to him. Misty's hands threaded through his messy hair, trying to get closer. Jackson's knees nearly gave out. He had to sit down before he fell to the floor. He sat back on the bed and dragged her along with him. She stood between his knees. "I need you Misty." Jackson's voice was little more than a raspy whisper.

*

Thanks for reading!!