What Happens at the Ranch...

by Christy Jeffries

  “Is your bodyguard going to be within earshot of us the whole time?” Davis asked, jerking his head over to the grooming station at the other end of the row.

  “He’s a Secret Service agent, not a bodyguard. And his horse needs to be rubbed down, as well. If you don’t want him here, you can offer to clean out Chandler Bing’s hooves yourself.”

  Davis looked down at his well-manicured hands. “I just wanted a few minutes to ourselves so that we can talk about our announcement.”

  Tessa’s stomach dropped. She really should’ve had this conversation with him earlier. But her father’s funeral hadn’t seemed like the appropriate time for the discussion and she hadn’t wanted to do it over the phone or by text.

  “What announcement?” Tessa asked, knowing full well exactly what he wanted to announce.

  “Our engagement. I was going to fly my personal jeweler out here to the ranch, but your mother said there were some issues with your younger brother right now and the Secret Service had you guys on lockdown.”

  “That’s right. I don’t believe I saw your name on the original list of approved visitors.” Probably because Tessa herself had been the one to strike his name from the list. Apparently, that had been the right call considering Davis had been going behind her back to plot with Sherilee.

  “I’m a United States congressman, Tessa. The Secret Service works for m—the government,” he corrected himself at the last second before looking over his shoulder to see if Grayson was within hearing range.

  Interesting that he claimed his status as a congressman rather than his status as her boyfriend to explain why he should be there. But then again, she wasn’t at all surprised.

  “About that engagement, Davis.” Tessa loosely tied the horse’s reins to the edge of the watering trough before hefting the saddle off her. “You know, I never actually accepted your proposal.”

  There seemed to be very little in Tessa’s life that she had control over at that exact moment, but she’d be damned if she was going to give up control over who she planned to marry. In fact, she was rather annoyed by Davis’s arrogance in showing up unannounced and assuming otherwise.

  “You never declined, either,” he pointed out.

  “I never really had time to respond at all,” she said, although she’d been sitting out here on the ranch with absolutely nothing but time. Tessa ran her hands down Phoebe’s legs, checking for possible injuries and swelling.

  “So you want to wait longer before we get engaged,” Davis stated rather than asked. She’d first met him when he’d been newly elected. When he’d been filled with bright ideas and shining promises, still fresh off the fight of a hard-won election. In the past two years, though, he’d eased into his position, and it was comfortable having a boyfriend who was just as busy as she was. A guy who didn’t mind showing up on her arm for public appearances when their schedules allowed it, yet never insisted on going on actual dates or doing all those couple-type things that neither one of them had time for.

  Somewhere along the way, though, Tessa had failed to notice the transition in his personality, the rise in his ego. Or perhaps she just hadn’t cared because she too had been so absorbed in her own career. They were more like companions, or even colleagues, rather than significant others. When they were together, they talked about current events and their jobs and everything else but themselves. In fact, most of the things Davis knew about her could be found on her Wikipedia page. Grayson, after only a few days, already knew way more about Tessa than that. The sudden realization made it easier to finally say what had needed to be said for several months.

  “No, I don’t need to wait any longer.” She pushed her shoulders back and faced him. “I’m not going to marry you, Davis.”

  “Is it because of him?” He jerked his head toward the other end of the aisle, where Grayson was hosing down his horse.

  “No, I should have told you when you first asked. I let things go on too long and...well, like I said, there never seemed to be any good time.”

  “But what about the media reports? All the speculation and gossip is going to haunt my upcoming reelection bid.”

  An unexpected chuckle burst out of her throat. “The fact that you’re more concerned with your reelection bid than with a broken heart is evidence that you never really loved me in the first place.”

  “People like us are too busy for love, Tessa. Sure, a big romance might make for a nice story, but there’re more important things than that. Like our careers. Besides, being together makes sense. We get along and we run in the same circles. Really, it’s a win-win for both of us. You’re the brainy one with the family connections and I’m the charming one with the people skills,” he said, not realizing how utterly uncharming he sounded at that exact moment. “Together, we could’ve gone farther than Roper King could have ever hoped.”

  Her stomach turned over. She knew their relationship had mostly been based on appearances, but she’d thought there’d been at least a mutual respect there, as well. It shouldn’t have surprised her that she was just a step on his career ladder. A big step, but a step nonetheless.

  “My dad got exactly as far as he wanted, Davis. And, for the record, he hated people who needed to use someone else to get ahead.”

  “I was never using you.” His eyes narrowed into angry slants. “At least, not any more than you were using me.”

  “How did I use you?” she asked, crossing her arms at her chest. “I’d love to hear this.”

  “Tessa King had the reputation of being a cold, cutthroat bitch before I came along. I humanized you. Being in a relationship with me made you at least seem like a real woman.”

  The urge to deliver a cutting remark threatened to choke her, but she refused to give him the satisfaction of reacting to his stinging insult. Instead she replied in her most dismissive tone. “I think you need to leave now, Congressman Townsend.”

  “But your mother invited me—”

  “Miss King has politely asked you to leave.” Grayson had made it to their side of the stables in less than two seconds. “I’ll have the command center radio your pilot so you can fly out of here on your own accord.”

  “Or else what?” Davis’s chin lifted.

  “Or else we can escort you from the premises in the backseat of the Ridgecrest County Sheriff’s patrol unit.” Marcus’s commanding voice came from out of nowhere.

  No, not nowhere. Her brother walked out from an empty stall followed by Violet, her dark hair flecked with several strands of dried hay. Tessa would’ve asked them what they’d been doing if her brother’s eyes weren’t so filled with fury.

  “Before you make your choice,” Marcus continued, “it’s only fair to warn you that my squad car doesn’t have tinted windows. I’m sure the press stationed outside the gates would love to get a great shot of you back there.”

  Davis took a step in retreat and flashed that ridiculous fake grin again. “We’re good. I was just leaving.”

  The congressman walked away, with Marcus and Violet following a few feet behind. Marcus probably because he wanted to make sure Davis actually left, and Violet probably because she didn’t want anyone asking her what she was doing inside one of the stalls with her ex-boyfriend.

  When they were out of sight, Tessa felt the air rush out of her lungs. She smoothed a hand over the mare’s damp coat, trying not to notice the slight tremble in her fingers.

  “Are you okay?” Grayson’s voice was low, his body suddenly close.

  “I’m fine.” Tessa sniffed and pushed her hair back from her flushed face, sounding anything but composed. “Davis was upset, but it wasn’t like I needed you guys to jump in and save me. I wasn’t in any danger.”

  “Then why are you shaking?” Of course Grayson would notice. He was always too damn observant. She dropped her hand and turned to him.

  “Because I’m mad at myself for
not ending things sooner. I never should’ve al...al...allowed—” She forced the word out, but the effort made her close her eyes. She put her tongue on the roof of her mouth and counted to five, but the sound of the helicopter’s engine, followed by the slow churn of the propeller, saved her from having to finish her sentence.

  She turned back to brushing Phoebe, concentrating on the smooth strokes until the mare stomped her foot as though to say, Enough. Take me back to my stall so I can get away from you crazy humans and eat.

  After caring for her horse, Tessa turned to the mundane tasks of cleaning the bit and bridle, reorganizing a row of leather reins in the tack room and even polishing the saddle.

  “I’m pretty sure he’s gone now,” Grayson said from the door of the tack room. “You don’t have to keep hiding out in the stable.”

  “I’m not hiding from Davis Townsend.” Tessa rolled her shoulders in circles to loosen the tension she couldn’t seem to shake. When Grayson kept staring at her, she finally sighed. “Everyone but my mom has been predicting our breakup for a year now. I didn’t want to give any of them the satisfaction back then. So now I’m hiding out from my family and all their I-told-you-sos. Plus, I’m so damn mad at my mother for inviting him out here in the first place, I need to cool down before I say anything I might regret.”

  “How long will that take?” he asked, looking at his watch.

  “Probably a few weeks.” She yanked the elastic band from her hair and massaged her scalp. “Look, you don’t have to stay here and babysit me. If you’re off duty, you can go do...whatever you do in your free time.”

  “I’m never—”

  “Yeah, I get it.” She rolled her eyes as she cut him off. “You’re never off duty.”

  He smirked, the rare quasi smile suddenly making him seem less like a robot. Tessa had a sudden urge to see the man relax for a change and let down his guard.

  “I’m going to make your job easy then, Agent Wyatt. Mr. Truong, our stable manager, keeps a cold six-pack of beer in the back of the tiny fridge in his office. I’m going to go borrow a couple of bottles, along with the keys to one of the ATVs. Then I’m taking a joyride up to Pine Top Point. You can either go back to the bunkhouse and recruit another agent to trail me, or you can go back to the bunkhouse to see if you can find us a bag of chips and maybe some of those homemade sandwiches Aunt Freckles keeps sending out to you guys by the trayful. Either way, I’m leaving here in five minutes with or without you.”

  Chapter Nine

  Technically, he’d gotten off duty halfway through the horse ride. But Grayson hadn’t been about to leave Tessa alone with that blowhard fiancé of hers. In fact, after Davis Townsend had left, Grayson found reasons to hang around the stables, telling himself that he was remaining on standby, just in case Tessa needed him for something. Even if it was only to vent.

  But she hadn’t broken down crying or gone on a rampage or done any of the other things he would’ve expected a woman to do if the man she loved had just called her a cold, cutthroat bitch. Personally, Grayson had wanted to shove his fist in the guy’s face, but had to settle for diplomatically telling the jerk to get lost.

  In fact, Tessa hadn’t seemed all that bothered by the breakup. Judging by that accidental stutter, she’d been more embarrassed than anything else.

  Clearly, she hadn’t needed Grayson to swoop in and rescue her. Nor had she needed the comfort of her family, who most definitely would’ve given her a hard time about not dumping “Congressman Smooth” sooner. Tessa had simply wanted to get away from all the drama.

  So then why was he currently clinging to the roll bar of the two-seater ATV as she raced along the dirt trail that wound up to Pine Top Point?

  Maybe because he just simply needed to get away from his job, too.

  As she hastily shifted gears tearing along the rutted path, he felt himself slowly shift from the role of agent to the role of...friend? No, not friend, he corrected himself when Tessa hit a large rock in the road and sent them skidding sideways before regaining control of the steering wheel. Advisor.

  “Are you sure you don’t want me to drive?” he yelled above the revving engine as she took another steep incline at Mach 4.

  “No. Just hold on to the beer and make sure none of the bottles fly out.”

  It was hard to hold on to the beer when he also had to brace himself from slamming his head against the roll bar. These jacked-up golf carts weren’t made for men his size.

  When they finally reached the top of the trail, Tessa shut off the engine but left the keys in the ignition. Grayson waited until she’d climbed out of the driver’s seat before slipping the keys into his pocket. The sun would be setting in less than an hour and there was no way he was letting her drive down the hill in the dark.

  “Thanks for bringing the food,” she said as she grabbed the bag of sandwiches from the metal lockbox strapped to the back of the vehicle.

  “I didn’t have time to wrap them up, so if it looks like someone lost a cafeteria food fight in there, you can blame that on your refusal to stay on the road.”

  “We’re on a ranch, Grayson. Roads and trails are only suggestions out here.” She weaved her way through a wall of overgrown fir trees. “Come on, we have to hike the rest of the way.”

  He caught up to her quickly and, after winding through fifty yards or so of trees, the peak of the mountain gave way to a flat grassy spot and the most amazing view he’d ever seen.

  “Whoa,” he said, suitably impressed. “You can see the whole ranch from up here.”

  Or at least the western half of it. The sun was sinking behind the Teton mountain range in the distance and the sky couldn’t seem to decide if it wanted to be purple, pink or orange.

  She set down the bag of food and then surprised him by plopping herself cross-legged onto the cold ground without so much as a blanket between the long grass and her designer jeans.

  Don’t think about her jeans, he reminded himself.

  Tessa reached up a hand and his first thought was that she was going to grab onto him and pull him down beside her. It wasn’t until she asked, “Do you mind sharing one of those?” that he realized she was reaching for a beer.

  “Sorry,” he said, shoving the cardboard case at her.

  She set the six-pack on the grass and twisted off the top of one before passing the open bottle to him. “Are you ever allowed to sit down on the job?”

  He hadn’t officially been on the job for the past three hours. He’d even left his earpiece and his duty weapon back in the bunkhouse. Otherwise, he never would have accepted the beer. But there was a handheld radio in the ATV, along with an emergency kit and a holstered rifle mounted inside the lockbox—just in case they ran into an unfriendly bobcat or grizzly bear. So as long as he had only one drink, he was still well within regulations.

  Just to be safe, though, he sat a few feet away from Tessa, careful to keep the bag of food and the remaining six-pack between them. They were lucky they’d caught a break with this unusual warm weather—or at least warm for Wyoming in January. All the snow had melted and they weren’t expecting more for another week or so.

  He racked his brain for something to talk to her about that didn’t include the off-limit subjects. Normally, Grayson could sit in the quiet for hours, but that was when he was working. Right now—he took a sip of the craft beer that wasn’t quite as cold as when they’d set out—he was off the clock.

  Grayson preferred to operate in terms of black and white, however, being around Tessa King was like being surrounded by every color in between.

  His mind struggled with the distinction, with those boundary lines of being on the job and off the job. On duty meant suits, eating on the go and conversations with Doherty on his radio earpiece. Off duty meant sunsets, beer and making conversation with pretty women. He took another long gulp, then leaned back on his hands, taking in the incredibl
e view.

  “So.” Tessa finally broke the silence. “In the past week, you’ve pretty much seen me at all my worst moments.”

  “I thought you didn’t want to talk about the breakup. Or your family,” he added.

  “You’re right,” she said, then lifted the bottle to her lips. His own mouth went dry and he forced himself to look away. “So let’s talk about you.”

  “Or we could talk about your job,” he suggested, thinking he would lead her into a neutral subject that would interest her.

  “We could,” she answered. “But I’m more interested in finding out about your family. What’s Maddie like?”

  The unexpected question took Grayson aback. He was so accustomed to people focusing on Maddie’s medical condition, it was almost jarring when they wanted to know about her as a person.

  “Well... She’s smart. Like, wicked smart. She loves art, making it and studying it. In fact, she’s working on getting her online degree in art history. She loves candy and Jane Austen books and all of the Rocky movies. She once wrote an English paper about how Rocky was the ultimate love story and the boxing was only secondary to the plot.”

  Tessa laughed. “I’d have to agree with her there.”

  Grayson shook his head but continued since he was on a roll. “Maddie’s witty and sarcastic and nosy as hell. But she’s also kind and caring and loves giving advice. Even when it’s unsolicited.”

  “Like what? Give me an example of her unsolicited advice.”

  He immediately thought of his sister’s comment that he needed someone and hadn’t really dated since his divorce. But he didn’t feel like sharing that with Tessa. So instead he said, “She thinks I work too hard.”