Claiming the Enemy: Dustin (Porter Brothers Trilogy 3)

Jessie squeezed Lily’s hand. “I don’t need it. Lily convinced me to get my ass out of the truck. I have a mountain to move.”

“Huh?”

“Never mind. You wouldn’t understand.”

“Try me.”

“Maybe another time. We have to get busy. We need to get this finished, because I have a party to get dressed for.”

Dustin grinned. “You do?”

“I do,” Jessie threw over her shoulder as she slid out after Lily.

Dustin came around the front of the truck. “They have a special at KFC today in case you want to bring something.”

“Our family has already decided what we’re going to bring. We’re going to the store when we’re done here.”

Dustin’s face fell in disappointment. “Oh … that’s fine. Asher said he was picking something up from the store yesterday. He said you don’t do much cooking.”

“He did?” She stared back at him quizzically. “When did he say that?”

“Holt and Asher say that all the time.”

Inwardly seething when she saw him look away in embarrassment, Jessie knew that wasn’t the only story her loving big brothers were saying about her cooking abilities.

She was wishing the heavens above would hit them with a thunderbolt when Bliss wound an arm through hers, pulling her protectively to her side.

“You can bring anything you want.” Bliss gave Dustin a glare. “I love your peanut butter and jelly sandwiches. I’m on a diet,” she added hastily. “But I’m sure everyone will eat them.”

“I love peanut butter and jelly sandwiches,” Lily assured her just as fast.

Not only had her brothers downplayed her cooking abilities, she had done it herself to make Bliss feel better about her lack of skills.

“I’ll eat them.” Dustin gave both women a glare back. “I don’t love them,” Dustin said, rolling his eyes at them, “but I have no problem eating them if that’s what you’re bringing. Just don’t make them with strawberry. I prefer grape.”

“I’m so glad you told me that. I would have made them with strawberry if you hadn’t.”

“No problem. No sense in wasting food. And most everyone else will be eating KFC. I just didn’t want you to get your feelings hurt with only me and Lily eating them.”

Jessie was glad the stairs were finally clear so the group that was standing at the bottom could go up.

“I won’t,” she managed to get out, wanting to take the lamp that Kaley was carrying and bash him over the head with it.

“Dustin, I think the men need help loading the couch onto the truck.”

At his sister’s suggestion, Dustin went to help.

Jessie shrugged at Rachel. “I wouldn’t have hurt him too bad.”

She grinned. “Dustin can take care of himself. He should know better than to talk about a Kentucky woman’s cooking.”

“There is no cooking involved in making peanut butter and jelly sandwiches. And apparently, that’s all I’m capable of making,” Jessie said drily as they went up the steps.

“You could always make mac and cheese. I’m good at that. The recipe is on the back of the box,” Bliss whispered at her side.

“Rachel?”

The woman turned around, a smile on her lips. “Yes, Jessie?”

“Who’s the best cook in the county?” She already knew, but she wanted to confirm it. After all, she had eaten at enough potlucks at the church to gauge most of the cooks.

“I’m pretty good.”

Jessie wanted to roll her eyes at that one. Rachel was the best in the county.

“Sutton is a close second. She beats me on meatloaf. She won’t share her recipe. That is, if you’re talking about regular food. If you’re talking about desserts, no one can beat Willa … yet. But that doesn’t mean the rest of us aren’t trying.”

“Maybe you could take a cooking class. I’d take it with you. The last time everyone tried to teach me didn’t go so well,” Jo said from behind her.

“I don’t need lessons!” Jessie stopped in the middle of the stairs. “I can cook.”

“Yes, you can,” Bliss agreed. “I told you I love your sandwiches.”

“Bliss, I’m not making sandwiches.”

Rachel continued up the steps. “The men won’t consider deli food as cooking, but I don’t have any problem with it. The potato salad you brought to the last church supper was so good I bought a tub of it myself.”

“The mayo one or the mustard one?” Jo asked with interest. “Rider loves potato salad. Which one do you prefer, Rider?”

“Whichever one that isn’t burnt,” he answered. “I can run to the store for you to save time. It seems you have plenty of help lifting the heavy stuff.”

Jessie lost track of what they were talking about when the handsome biker turned his smile on her.

“Jessie?”

“Hmm …?” Smiling back at Rider, she was unaware that the other women around her were doing the same.

“Jessie.”

Jessie was brought back from the shiny glare of Rider’s teeth at Dustin snapping his fingers in front of her face. Mentally, it took a second to shake off the effects of Rider’s good looks to register that Dustin had moved up beside her.